Superman's Daughter
by Mouserocks-nerd
Summary: The evolution of a superhero. What is it that prompts someone to follow in their father's footsteps- and how do the events in Lucy Kent's life shape the hero she becomes? The life of a superhero is no different than anyone else's with its ups and downs- it's only a little more super. Read&Review!
1. A Simple Plan

**A/N:** Hello! Okay, this is (probably-seriously-most likely) going to be a one shot. Simple and sweet. Fluffy! ...but a dark and sinister part of me may come back to this later to add one or two more things at most... :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Superman. I don't own Clark Kent or Lois Lane or Jason, either. I do, however, lay claim to the other characters in this chapter (Lucy, Chris and random old lady). :P

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><p>"So, I understand that you have a close relationship with my daughter."<p>

The words sat there, hanging in the silence. It seemed completely off topic and out of the blue. But considering the situation, Chris couldn't say he hadn't seen it coming. Just not so unexpectedly.

"Yes," he replied slowly. It should have been obvious by now, considering the fact that he was there at all, meeting him for the first time. Sure, he had met the rest of his girlfriend's family at some point or another- but never once had he yet met Lucy's father. And now they wound up talking in private, right when Chris was ready to take the next step. He silently begged for strength, trying to think of how to broach the topic.

"How close, would you say?" the man asked of him abruptly, suspicion lurking in his eyes behind the thick frames of his glasses. His hard blue gaze seemed to scrutinize every inch of him, as though he could see straight through him- and Chris definitely felt the weight of it.

"Cl-close enough," he responded vaguely, sweat breaking out on his brow. The man's frown deepened, and Chris couldn't help but reflect that this could not possibly be the same Clark Kent everyone had told him about. Everyone- girlfriend's family included- always labeled him as "sweet" or "harmless," "clumsy" or "friendly." Not mean, or cruel, or hard. . . or capable of scaring the crap out of anybody. . . .

Not that Chris truly believed he was a mean person. If he was anything like Lucy, then he would have to be a kind, gentle person. After all, she had to have gotten it from somewhere, he joked silently to himself.

Finally, he managed to muster up enough courage to ask him what he had been waiting to ask for a long time.

"Listen, Mr. Kent. I'm sorry we haven't been able to meet previously- I've missed your company whenever I met Lois or Jason," _though,_ he added mentally,_ it can hardly be considered my fault. You always seem to find an excuse to avoid me. . . _"And I assure you that my intentions towards your daughter are only of the best nature. I'm looking forward to getting to know you even better as time goes on. But I must admit, I did come here tonight with an ulterior motive." God, could the man sit up any straighter? Chris's back was hurting just watching the transformation- Clark Kent was much taller and more well-built than he appeared, he suddenly realized, feeling quite small under the man's gaze. Chris took a deep breath before proceeding. "You see, Mr. Kent, I love your daughter. You can't possibly imagine how much I love her. And I know for a fact that she loves me, too. No matter what happens to us, I'll always be there for her. And I always want to be. A-and that's why, with your permission, s-sir, I would like to ask for her hand in marriage."

The glass Clark had been about to drink from slipped from his hands, shattering on the rug. Chris flinched in the slightest, but the man across from him did not move.

Clark Kent had always considered himself to be a good actor, but his shock could not be concealed from his features, now. Chris picked up on his concern easily, and moved quickly to quell his fears. "Look, I know this may seem rather fast to you, but I love her. We love each other. We've been together. . . dating, that is. . . for a little over a year now as it is. I promise you that I would never do anything to hurt her, and nothing I would _ever_ do would be without your consent. Which is why I'm asking now, before I'm forced to take such a step without your blessing."

Clark recovered finally, running through every possible scenario in his mind in a matter of seconds. He released his breath, slowly, so as to not disturb the papers on the desk in his study. He avoided eye contact with the young man a little while longer, adjusting the pens on the desk, prolonging the inevitable, dreading the conversation. But truthfully, there was nothing left he could do. "Chris," he began slowly, "I think it's obvious enough that the two of you love each other. And while I would prefer it if I had gotten to know you better first. . . I see that this situation is really out of my control. So. . . if it means my daughter's happiness. . . I would be honored to have you as a part of our family."

The elation in the young man's face was blatantly obvious. "Thank you, sir!" Her jumped to his feet and grasped his soon-to-be father-in-law's hand in a warm, enthusiastic handshake. "Thank you. You have no idea how scared I was. For a moment there you looked at me like I was from another planet or something," he joked.

Clark stiffened involuntarily. This conversation wasn't finished just yet. Chris noticed the change in his features and released the man's hand, thinking maybe he had come on too strong, crossed a line somewhere. Maybe he should have kept it formal. . . .

"However," Clark added, dragging out the word. He watched the boy's face fall in horror and disappointment. "There's more to it than that. I hope you understand that if you _ever_ hurt my daughter in any way, shape or form- you'll have a lot to answer for. And you'll be answering to more than just Clark Kent."

Chris nodded soberly. "Yes, sir. I would never hurt her- not in a million years- but your wife and son have already made that much clear to me."

Clark gave a small laugh. "I appreciate that, but I still wasn't refering to Lois or Jason- not that you shouldn't watch out for them, either." Clark stopped himself, shifting slightly in his seat, taking a moment to consider how he should proceed. His next few words were guarded in his tone. "You said you loved her. That you would no matter what."

"And I meant that," he stated firmly. "My love for Lucy will never change. Even if, heaven help us, something did ever separate us- I would love her from afar. I will love her to the death, no matter what happens, or where she went, where she's been- hell, even if she were an alien I would love her."

Clark flinched. "Well, that's reassuring," he replied slowly, wondering if the boy already knew- no. He wouldn't be joking this much about it if he knew the truth. "But all the same, this still needs to be said. Because I swear, if you hurt her, you will be answering to me, understand? And I cannot guarantee to be merciful. If you hurt my baby girl, I won't be the loving father, nor the mild-mannered reporter. Nor the caring supe. . ." his voice trailed off.

Chris appeared confused. "I don't quite understand. Then who. . . ?"

Clark sighed and removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose before returning to the task at hand. Looking up at his future son-in-law, Clark was greeted by three successive reactions: one, a blank stare; two, confusion; and the third was a look of absolute terror.

"Holy s-. . ." he let his voice trail off as he realized that the man before him would hear his cursing no matter how quietly he uttered it. Chris leaned back in his chair and practically fell over. Scrambling to gain stability once again, he found his eyes drawn to the face of the man, so well known and well loved- and now feared. Holy crap. Holy _crap_. He'd just asked _Superman_ if he could marry his daughter. No, scratch that: Lucy, his girlfriend and hopeful fiancee, was Superman's daughter. No, wait- Superman even _had_ a daughter? His mind was in a complete jumble, and Clark noted how pale the boy looked, suddenly wondering if he had gone a bit over-the-top.

"Wait, uh, please. . . don't. . . freak out," he rushed, suddenly worried that he might have scared the boy beyond repair. Clark put his glasses back on his face, to re-engage him with the familiar. Bad things usually seemed to happen when he revealed his identity to people. "Uh, look- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shock you that much- but it's just kind of a father's duty to scare off a potential son-in-law. After all, you are going to marry my daughter."

Suddenly it struck Chris that Superman hadn't told him no.

Wait. . . "I'm sorry," he began. "Just give me a second to process all this. Sort it all out in my mind. I'm a little bit confused. So you're. . . Superman?" His voice reflected his disbelief.

"Yes," Clark spoke slowly in his best Superman voice.

"And you're Clark Kent?"

"Yes."

"And. . . Lucy really is your daughter? Biologically, I mean."

"Yes again," he added, leaving no room for doubt in the boy's mind.

"And does she. . . you know. . ." Chris finally settled on just making a swooping gesture with his hand, since verbalizing it seemed to difficult right now.

Clark nodded slower, not wanting to get into this without his daughter's permission. "Yeeeeesssssss. . . She has all my same abilities, but I'm afraid that's all I can really tell you. You'll have to talk to her more about this, when she decides she wants to. Actually, Lucy almost told you the truth a couple of months ago, but I asked her to hold off- at least until I met you, and could determine if you really loved her back. And, as fate would have it, I couldn't actually meet you before."

"Wait, so, all those times I came to meet you and the rest of your family, you weren't just avoiding me?" He gave a short laugh. "And here I thought you just hated me. I guess it makes sense now. I remember one time, Lucy grumbling about you going to jump off the roof of the Planet to avoid meeting me. I suppose you probably did- or rather, you flew off. For rescues and stuff."

Clark flushed in the slightest. He had faked an emergency that time, flying off when Lucy knew full well that nothing was happening. . . "Um, well, that time Lucy had legitimate reason to be mad. I was kind of avoiding you, then. But ever since then, I swear, it's all been Superman duties that kept me from this introduction. It's kind of a curse that my family life gets disrupted so often."

Chris frowned a bit, but managed to laugh. Suddenly a thought hit him. "Does she or Jason. . . Jason's your real son, too, right?" At Clark's slight nod, he continued. "Do they ever, you know, help you?"

"Discreetly," Clark acquiesced, not sure how much more this kid could handle in a day. "So far the public hasn't really picked up on much. In time, perhaps they will lead a life similar to mine- but it is their decision to do so. Just because they're my kids doesn't mean they have to become Superman. I've always thought-" Suddenly, Clark's head snapped up and he got a distant look in his eye, as if he were listening to something far off in the distance. "I'm sorry, Chris. I'm gonna have to go. I forgot to grab a file from. . . I mean, I gotta go help someone." A brief smile lightened his features at the realization. He didn't have to lie anymore.

Chris had a hard time connecting it for a moment. "Go? Go where?" he asked, slightly confused. Suddenly Clark Kent spun around and was gone, to be replaced by Superman- standing there in his iconic red and blue. The superhero gave him a brief nod before vanishing out the window.

"OH! Dad! Uh, mom said that she left something at work that she needs you to run by and-" Lucy burst into the room to be greeted by a gust of wind and a look of confusion on Chris's face. "Grab it," she finished, her eyes not leaving her boyfriend's expression. Slowly he stood up and approached her. That's when the genes from her mother's side kicked in and she began to babble, unable to stop her mouth from running.

"Oh, Chris, I'm so sorry. I've wanted to tell you for such a long time, but how do you break that sort of news to someone- "hi honey, i'm home, by the way, did i tell you my dad is Superman?" Besides, I wanted you to meet him first, before you walked in here with a predetermined mindset about him- I mean, you'd have never seen him for who he was if you already knew what he was, you know? And then, worse, what if you got angry with me for not telling you anyways or I did tell you and then you broke up with me because I'd lied to you and then that would be really bad because then you would have that knowledge and you'd be mad at me so all you'd have to do is spill the beans and then what would become of us and-"

He stopped her suddenly with a kiss, bringing his lips crashing against her own, pressing firmly against her mouth. At first she stiffened in shock, startled by his reaction, but gradually she relaxed and lost herself in the feeling. When he pulled away, however, there was no mistaking the confusion in her eyes. "Wait, what?"

He smiled and kissed her again. This time, however, she responded more properly, her lips taking in as much as she could of his mouth, tongue fighting to find a way in. Finally they separated, still standing close against one another.

"I love you," he whispered, his tone deep and amorous, sending shivers down her spine.

Another look of confusion furrowed her brow. "But. . . aren't you mad at me? I mean, I'm not complaining, really, but still. . ."

Chris smiled. "Maybe I should be. But with what just happened, there' no possible way I can be mad at you. Besides, I can't really blame you for keeping your father's secret. And I can't blame your father for wanting you to keep it a secret. If I were a father in his position, I can't say I'd have acted any differently. You wanna know what I find funny, though?"

She frowned, fearing the worst. "What?"

Her boyfriend's smirk turned into a wicked grin. "You have your mother's knack for talking and your father's set of lungs. I don't know how I survive you on a daily basis."

She swatted his arm lightly- considering her potential strength. "That's because you love me, you idiot." She smiled up at him.

His grin softened into a gentle, loving smile. "You're right. I do love you, don't I?" He paused slightly. "And if you'd let me finish up my conversation with your father earllier, or even if you walked in a minute beforehand, you would know exactly why I feel the way I do." Slowly, he slid down until he was on the floor, kneeling on one knee. Lucy gasped as he pulled a small ring box out of his suit pocket. Chris savored the look of surprise and happiness in her blue eyes, positive that it was reflected in his own eyes, as well. He swallowed before proceeding.

"Lucy Lane Kent- oh, god, I really hope your dad is out there somewhere watching or listening to this. . . Lucy Lane Superman-Kent," his eyes sparkled in kind with hers, "I knew from the first time I saw you that I liked you. After our first date, I knew I loved you. And every single second that we've shared since then, I knew that you were the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. So please, would you find the kindness somewhere in your great big, super heart of yours, to spare me the agonizing pain of waiting and the torture of not knowing what your answer will be- I can't take anymore of it. Lucy, will you marry me?"

Lucy found herself speechless, breath caught in her throat for a brief moment. Her eyes welled up with tears and she broke into a huge smile. She leaned down and kissed him firmly, passionately.

Chris raised his eyebrow as she pulled back from the kiss, starting to feel acutely uncomfortable kneeling there. "Is that a yes?" he asked.

"Yes!" she shouted. "Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes! A billion times yes!" Lucy tried to keep from shaking as he slipped the engagement ring onto her finger. Finally Chris stood and pulled her in close to him. He leaned her down slightly in order to look into her eyes as he brought his lips against hers once more in a loving, passionate, soul-shattering kiss.

Finally he straightened them so that they didn't look like they were in the middle of a tango, and they parted, gasping slightly for breath. Lucy spoke first.

"By the way, just for future reference, Superman's last name. It's El. His name's Kal'El."

He couldn't help but laugh at that, the tension relieving between them, and at that point both Lois and Jason made their presence known in the room. Her mother smiled at them knowingly, and Jason shook his soon-to-be brother-in-law's hand firmly. Laughter burst out among them, and Clark could hear it even as he flew his last victim from the car wreck to the hospital. He chuckled slightly, shaking his head as a big grin spread across his face. A grin Superman never allowed himself.

The hurt older woman in his arms looked at him quizzically, reminding Clark slightly of his mother. "Er, Superman? What's so funny?"

"Hmm? Oh, er nothing, ma'am. My dau- er, my day's just going pretty good today."

The lady smiled knowingly, despite the pain in her leg. "I know that look, Superman. Don't worry. I understand," she responded sagely.

Clark gave her a thankful, almost sheepish smile as he set her down at the entrance to the hospital, briefly describing the injury to the medical staff there. The woman took his hand for a moment, and whispered her words. "I hope you enjoy your day. Make the most of it."

Clark's expression lightened a bit. "Don't worry ma'am, I will." And with that he left.

Chris turned the corner only to practically run headlong into Clark Kent, arm still wrapped around his fiancee. _Fiancee_. He loved that word. "Oh, uh, Mr. Kent," he held out his hand for a handshake.

Clark gave it a sparing glance- Chris noticing that the glasses were no longer disguising his features- and began to withdraw his hand slowly.

"You really do love each other, don't you?" he asked in his best Superman voice. Lois tried to refrain from laughing out loud at her husband.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Of course we do, dad." She held out her hand to show him the rock resting on her finger. "You see?"

"Oh, I know. I heard everything," Clark could no longer hide his smile. And he had been trying so hard, too. He suddenly grasped Chris's hand and shook it warmly, enveloping him in a man-hug as he did so and patting him on the back. Chris's eyes widened in surprise at getting such a warm response from the man of steel. Especially considering the grilling he had just received at his hands a few minutes back.

Clark pulled back and gave the boy a warm smile. "Welcome to the family, Chris."

With this Chris broke into a wide grin. "Thank you, sir." He paused, wondering if he should ask this, but decided it would be alright. "But then. . . what was all that questioning for?"

Clark laughed. "Oh, come on. It's my job to scare the crap out of anyone that comes near my daughter. I told you that much."

"That, and the fact that he wanted to see if you would stand up for her," Jason added shaking his head with a smile. "For some reason, he gets a kick out of people trying to stand up to him when they don't know who they're dealing with."

They all laughed and Chris finally relaxed as they moved into the living room. Lucy whispered into his ear as they chatted. "See? I told you he was nothing but a big softie."

Chris grinned at the sour look that briefly crossed Superman's face as she spoke those words. Chris threw his arm around her waist and smiled, adding for his benefit. "Are you kidding me? Superman or no, Clark Kent scared the wits out of me."

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><p><strong>AN:** Please review! Tell me if you liked the fluffiness factor! I wanna know what works for future reference.


	2. The Big Day

**A/N:** Okay. I came back to it. I couldn't let it lie- I had one last good idea that's going to develop into several more oneshots- imagine it as you're dropping in on little (big) moments in Lucy's life, living as the daughter of a superhero and dealing with the consequeces that revolve around that. Each are pretty short, but I hope you enjoy them! My brain won't leave me alone unless I post them out here, so tell me what you think!

**Disclaimer:** I can sincerely say (or at least hope) that this one-shot is pretty much my own invention. Oh, except for that little fact about this all taking place in the Superman universe (which i own no part of) and shamelessly taking advantage of the emotions of the very same characters I don't own. Sorry. =D

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><p>Chris's palms were sweating beyond belief and he felt his throat go dry more often than should have been normal. He jumped every time someone spoke to him, and the collar of his shirt was too tight and itchy. What was with that? Maybe he'd used too much starch? Or maybe it was just too hot in here? Or. . .<p>

Or maybe it was the fact that Superman had been breathing down his neck all morning, keeping very close tabs on him, watching his every move as if the world depended on it, as if he might have to swoop in at any moment and save the day, stop his daughter from marrying him.

But so far, Clark had had no such luck. The boy had been jumpy, sure, but there were no red flags, no warning signs, nothing at all that he could even twist into seeming suspicious. Nope; it seemed like he would be getting a second son today after all. Clark wasn't sure how he felt about that just yet.

"Clark!"

He practically jumped three feet in the air at his wife's harsh whisper before turning around to meet her enquiring gaze. Clark cleared his throat and appeared to be unaffected- or at least tried to. Lois could see the red growing in the corners of his eyes proving otherwise. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

He slumped his shoulders. "Just making sure everything goes alright," he admitted with defeat.

Lois wrapped her arms around his torso, leaning against his back. "It'll be perfect," she spoke softly, pausing before continuing. "You know, they do love each other."

Clark's gaze remained steadily on the groom, pacing about nervously as he recited his vows for practice, and he softly stroked his wife's arm. "I know," he spoke tenderly. "I've seen the way they look at each other, and I'm not worried about anything like that. It's just. . ." he hesitated, unsure of how exactly to state his qualms.

"It's a little scary, isn't it?" Lois's words caused him to nearly tear up- again. "To have your youngest- your daughter at that- married to someone. She's only twenty-five years old. It seems too short."

Clark bit his lip and nodded. "You don't quite understand, Lois. I wasn't. . . well, wasn't _there_ for Jason forever. I wish I could have been, you know how long it took me to reconcile with that. But Lucy. . . she's my baby girl. Everything I missed with Jason I tried to make up for double time with her, those first five years of her life. Even afterwards. And to think that I finally have to part with her. . ."

Lois hugged him tightly, suddenly understanding her husband's conflicting emotions on the issue. So it _wasn't_ about Chris being the groom so much as the fact that there was a groom at all. He was stealing her away from her daddy. Finally, finding inspiration, she spoke once more. "Clark, you've survived a hell of a lot. Fathers go through this all the time. If anyone can get through this successfully, it's you."

Her words, simple though they were, lifted the burden off his shoulders, and suddenly, relishing in the feel of his wife's arms around him, he knew she was right. Chris was a good kid- Lucy a smart, powerful woman- and they had each other. They'd all be just fine.

Lois pulled away, brushing away tears from her eyes gently so as to not disturb her makeup. "Now come on. I was under the impression that you were supposed to walk a certain beautiful young bride down the aisle soon. Don't you want to see her beforehand?"

Clark took his wife's hand as she led him to his daughter's dressing room. He rapped gently on the door, closing his eyes to resist the urge to peek and look right through it as he opened it a crack and stepped inside. Once the door was shut behind him, he allowed himself to open his eyes.

His heart skipped a beat and he felt the tears spring instantly to his unnaturally blue eyes as he gazed upon his little girl in her big white dress. Her smile was dazzling, her hair swept into a fabulous dark bun underneath her veil, every aspect of her features practically exuding happiness. That's when it all really sunk in for Clark Kent, when he saw that look, saw her standing there- a grown woman, a bride on her wedding day.

She blushed and looked to her feet- or rather, the base of her dress, considering how long it was- before looking her father in the eye. "Well, what do you think?"

Clark forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat and finally speak. "You look beautiful."

Lucy smiled, smoothing the front of her dress. "You really think so?"

Clark approached his daughter and gave her a warm embrace, feeling the warm trickle of a tear run down his face. His children were the only people on the planet that Clark could hug with most his strength, and even now Lucy noted the embrace was tight. "I don't have to think so. It's obvious enough. You are beautiful in every way imaginable, and I'm so proud of you, sweetheart." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, then just letting them enjoy the silence for a moment before they had to go out there, staring at each other in the large mirror before them- father and daughter, so much alike.

Finally, Clark broke the silence and patted his daughter's hand. "Now, there's a man out there who seems just about ready to burst at the seams to see you, so he can finally read you his vows that he's spent who knows how long memorizing. And I can't imagine anyone better fit to marry my little girl. What do you say we go out there and take a load off his mind?"

Lucy smiled genuinely, and Clark could feel the pure love radiating from it. From that he knew, and his heart soared. She really did love him. But contrarily to the expected feeling of loss from it, Clark felt lighter than air. If he was giving his daughter up to someone, at least it was to someone who loved her, and vice versa. A smile graced his own features, and he knew that this was what made it all worthwhile.

He heard sirens off in the distance, sounding like a bank robbery. But the police had already begun to take care of it. His daughter cast him a wary glance, having heard the alarms as well- a look that expressed as much fear at his possibilty of leaving as it did determination that she would not let him go. Clark smiled and shook his head briefly. Inspector Henderson had already assured him that they wouldn't need him for the day- short of a major disaster happening, they would try to not even call for him. He had to admit, it was nice having someone else on the inside in the know- it certainly made things easier for Clark on days like today.

Not to mention Bruce had promised that he'd be able to duck out of the wedding if need be in order to go help out Metropolis. Clark grinned and chuckled softly at the thought of the criminals of the city running into his batty friend Bruce instead of the usual blue-and-red-clad hero. Regardless of the fact that Superman was invulnerable, he had a feeling that people would think Batman to be a little bit more intimidating just due to the fact that he was completely out of place. But only a little more intimidating.

Lucy shot her father a curious glance. "What's so funny?"

Clark grinned. "Nothing. Just thinking about something your Uncle Bruce said earlier." He turned to face his daughter, pulling the veil down over her features carefully, so as to not disturb any of her meticulously arranged hair. "You ready?"

She nodded emphatically and Clark held out his elbow for her to take hold of as they prepared to walk down the aisle. Clark felt like he should have been soaring several feet off the ground he was so happy for his baby girl. He didn't think it was possible to feel this way- it was so different from every other incarnation of love he'd experienced in his lifetime that it took his breath away.

Superman could wait for a day. Today, his daughter was getting married.

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><p><strong>AN:** Kay. So i just had to post this. The next chapter is going to be set a couple of years down the road, just a heads up. :) Leave a comment so I know what you guys like! I aim to please!


	3. Bad News

**A/N:** Okay. Warning for this chapter: this story just got a lot darker. Seriously. Mainly this chapter. The summary has changed, and I've decided to make this story more about the creation and evolution of a superhero instead of just Lucy's life. Still going to be the same set up, what with the drop-in, one-shot feel, just more centralized plot. This is how Lucy becomes who she's meant to be.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, Superman or otherwise. I own this plot, and not much else.

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><p>Chris opened the door to their apartment and was surprised to find it dark. He tossed his keys into the bowl next to the door as he struggled to carry in two bags of groceries and his briefcase. "Honey? Little help here please?" He kicked the door closed behind him and looked around. His question was greeted by silence.<p>

Curious, he fixed his hold on the bags in his arms and strode forward through their apartment. He glanced at the clock on the wall- it was nine fifteen on a Thursday evening. Photojournalist or no, his wife should have been home by now- in all five years of their marriage, she was either there to greet him when he got home or left a note for him next to the key bowl. He double checked to make sure he didn't miss anything or accidentally knock it off the table, but to no avail. Chris frowned.

"Honey? You home?" He thought he heard a small noise coming out of the kitchen and he headed that direction. "Honey?" Chris set the bags on the table and walked around the island.

He felt his heart plummet as he saw her.

Lucy was huddled up in the corner, arms folded over her knees, face burried in the crook of her elbow. Her form shook with her sobs. Chris ran over to her side immediately. "Honey, what's wrong? Are you alright? Is everything okay?"

Her voice was broken when she finally managed to speak. "I-I c-c-can't. . . d-d-do it."

Chris's brow furrowed in confusion. "Can't do what?"

"D-damn S-s-super-man."

Swearing was uncharacteristic of his wife- unlike her mother, Lois, she rarely lost her cool. She took after her father in that way. And frankly, who could find anything bad to say about his father-in-law anyways? The man was. . . well, Superman. Nevertheless, her words only heightened his concern for his wife. "Why?"

"I-it's his d-damn DNA t-that's s-s-stopping m-me."

Chris felt his throat close up. "What?"

Reluctantly, she reached beside her and handed him the butcher knife from their kitchen drawer. Or rather, what was left of it. The blade was twisted into an unnatural form, bent out of shape, and the handle had fingerprints permanently imprinted on it.

The realization hit Chris faster than a speeding bullet.

"Lucy," he began slowly, "What's. . . why. . . what would possess you. . ."

"There's more in the bedroom," she muttered in a flat, resigned tone.

"More? Did you run through the entire knife drawer?" She shot him an irritated look, mascara staining her features, making her look even more depressed, and he changed tactics. "Why would even think about something like this, Lucy? What's the problem? You have a great job, a family that loves you, and you will always have me-"

Suddenly she broke down crying again, burying her face into her husband's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling him close against his body. Why on earth Superman's daughter would attempt suicide was unfathomable to Chris.

"Th-th-the doctor c-c-called."

And just as quickly as he had denied the situation, it all clicked in his mind- and Chris paled at the realization. Unconsciously his arms tightened around her shaking body as he remained silent for a moment, trying to think of what to possibly say to that. All their hopes and dreams were lying in wait for that phonecall- and from his wife's reaction, it obviously wasn't good news. Finally he managed to gulp past the lump in his throat and ask the dreaded question.

"And what did he say?"

Her trembling violently increased and he gripped her as tightly as possible. One of the perks of having an invulnerable wife. "U-um, it's n-no-ot g-good. He-e, um, said th-that. . . that w-we c-c-c-an-an-an't. . ." Her voice trailed off.

Chris bit his lip fiercely and felt a hot tear stream down his cheek. He shut his eyes, trying to block out the words from his mind, but it was no use. They were already there, and he knew the truth now, despite how much he might try to deny it.

_We can't have kids._

It was like being punched in the gut. Chris felt sick to his stomach. They had been trying for a little over a year now, and he knew how badly Lucy wanted to have kids. Especially after her brother's wife had one, with another on the way- despite the fact that Jason had married after them. Hell, he had wanted to have kids as badly as she had. It was like the universe was spitting in their faces.

"I-I don't understand, Chris. Jason could. How come we c-can't?"

He shook his head slowly, reluctant to open his eyes and face the truth. "I don't know, sweetie. I just don't know." If it were possible for the grip on his wife to get any tighter, it did. For a long moment, they both just sat there in silence, mourning the loss of something they never had.

Eventually, when her sobbings had subsided a bit, Chris turned to his wife's form in his arms. "Hey," he said, catching her chin gently and raising her face so that his eyes could meet hers. "No matter what, I will always love you. I don't want you to _ever _think that life's not worth living just because someone told you that you couldn't do something. If you weren't invincible, do you have any idea what kind of pain you would have caused me, caused your family?"

A pained, sheltered look entered into her eyes at his words. "But. . . you wanted kids as much as I did. Why would you want to be with a woman who couldn't even give you a family?"

He shook his head firmly. "Lucy, no. You know that's not true. I love you. Did I look forward to having kids, sure. Anyone would. But not in a million years would I trade my love for you just to have a kid of my own. You are my family."

Her blue eyes were filled to the brim with tears, one silent betrayer leaking free. Chris brushed it away with his thumb gently. "Thank you," she whispered, turning and planting a kiss in his palm.

Chris brushed her hair back from her face. "Don't leave me, sweetheart. Ever."

She closed her eyes briefly before returning her impossibly blue gaze back to her husband's loving, concerned face. "I won't. I promise. It was just a moment of irrational thinking."

He gave a small, bitter laugh. "Yeah, well, let's not have anymore of those, alright? Besides, who knows? Maybe the doctor's wrong. I mean, your dad got your mom pregnant on the first date," he nudged her with his elbow suggestively.

A brief smile lightened her features. His joke had worked. "Yeah, but my dad's Superman."

"And you're his daughter. That's gotta count for something. I don't know. Maybe we can go down to Star Labs or something, run some other, more specific tests on you. See if it's at all possible. Besides, there's always other options."

Lucy smiled at her husband and planted a kiss on his lips this time. "Thank you, honey. You always know exactly what to say. I love you."

He kissed her once more with a grin spreading across his features. "Yeah, I am pretty great, aren't I?"

She rolled her eyes. "And so humble." She swatted his arm gently as he chuckled. She sighed and pulled herself to her feet, Chris coming up with her. With one final kiss, he strode off to their bedroom, loosening his tie as he went.

He stood at the threshold with a look of horror. "Um, sweetheart? Care to explain all this?"

Lucy appeared at his side within a second, but shrank back when she saw what he was refering to. An extension cord dangled from their ceiling fan in the form of a noose, and half a bottle of pills lay on the floor, along with a completely drained bottle of wine. He turned fearful eyes to his wife, who couldn't bring her unearthly blue eyes to meet his dark brown gaze once again.

He spoke when she remained silent. "Just a moment of irrational thinking?"

"Maybe it was longer than a moment," she muttered before blurring her form and removing all the evidence from sight. "Sorry," she muttered when she returned to his side once more.

Chris sighed and wrapped his arms around his wife, who once again buried her face in his chest. "Don't scare me like that anymore," he whispered.

"I won't."

After a pause he finally chuckled. She glanced up at his face suspiciously and saw her husband fighting a smile. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just. . . you really tried to hang yourself? Little Miss Flighty?"

She frowned, but felt the corners of her mouth pull upwards. "Yeah, it didn't work really well. Turns out flying really is second nature for me. It's difficult to fight. And when I did successfully hang, I was too invulnerable to cause any damage, let alone cut off my air supply- especially since I can hold my breath for hours on end. . ."

He laughed outright this time. "I'm lucky you take after your father in that way. Was there anything you didn't try?"

Her expression darkened and she looked to her feet. "Kryptonite. I didn't try kryptonite," she whispered.

Chris felt his pulse quicken at the mention of the word. That topic was generally held as taboo for the entire family. The fact that she would even mention it must have meant she was thinking about it. His grip tightened around her before he pulled back and looked her in the eye. "Lucy," he began in a stern, chiding tone. "Don't you dare talk like that ever again, understand? I'm lucky to have you- everyone who knows you is lucky to have you in their lives. If you even so much as think about that horrible substance ever again, I'm going to have to put you in the care of an insane asylum, got it?"

She flushed and looked to the ground once more, but her husband's steady hand kept her gaze on him. She shifted uncomfortably. "What was I supposed to say, Chris? I didn't go that far, and I knew that none of this would work. You know I knew what I was doing. I wouldn't even go that far, and you know it. Besides, I don't even know where to find it. I'm safe. Really. You don't need to worry about me anymore."

"Honey, I will always worry about you, invulnerable or no. I can't help it. Just, please: promise me that you'll never, ever do anything stupid like that ever again. Don't even go there in your mind, all right? We're in this together, all right?"

Lucy heard the sincerity in his words, and what's more, saw the terror in his eyes. True, genuine fear. It suddenly hit her how trying this had to be on him- no matter how ridiculous it seemed to her, being that she was invulnerable and knew everything she tried wouldn't work, for someone who was very vulnerable it must have come as more than quite a shock. She placed herself in his shoes, and knew that even if he was as invulnerable as she was, that wouldn't keep it from mattering.

His expression had grown more terrified as she stood there thinking, non-responsive. Her next words were spoken with a strong conviction, and she knew that she was telling the truth when she said them. Lucy nodded as a tear leaked from her eyes once more.

"I know. I promise."


	4. An Inspired Idea

**A/N:** A little less dark this time, for those who may not have liked the last chapter so much. . . oh, but keep in mind that Lucy is about 30 years old at this point in time and as such, everyone else is older, too. Just saying. Nothing altogether too crucial. Just, one minor point that I expect will be brought up. . . R&R, please!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Nothing, I say!

* * *

><p>Lucy awoke in her bed and felt the sun wash over her. Smiling, she stretched out her arms and reached for her husband on the other side of the bed, to meet with nothing.<p>

She frowned. Doctor or not, usually she was up long before he was. Sunlight did that sort of thing to her. Vaguely she turned her senses outward in search for him- only to be greeted by the smell of breakfast. _Mmm, pancakes_. . . she thought as her lips stretched upwards more, her eyes fluttering closed in a moment of peace. Then she shot up in bed. _Pancakes?_ Chris failed everytime he made pancakes- surely she should have woken up to a fire alarm before now if he were cooking pancakes. Besides, Lucy could tell that these were blueberry pancakes. . .

Which meant her father was here.

She showered and dressed herself in a matter of seconds before walking out to the kitchen.

Clark greeted his daughter before even turning around. "Hi, sweetheart. How are you?" Lois and Chris turned to greet her next, all smiling, though there seemed to be something guarded in her mother's tone.

"Hi," Lucy drew out the word, instantly suspicious. "What's going on here? I didn't know we were going to all do breakfast today."

"Oh, well your father's schedule was actually clear for once this morning and we called in to Jimmy and said the three of us were going to be late." Clark set down four plates stacked with his famous blueberry pancakes.

"Actually, Clark, I've gotta head into the office a little early today, so I'll be taking my breakfast to go, if you please," Chris spoke up, grabbing a plate from his father-in-law's hand, not without sharing a significant glance with him. He already knew why his in-laws were there to talk, and he knew it was something his wife should decide on her own. He didn't want to interrupt the flow of their conversation, and so he was graciously ducking out.

Clark nodded. "See you, then."

"Bye honey," Lucy piped up, buttering her pancakes- stopping only a moment to share a kiss with her husband before he walked out the door.

Lois examined her daughter during the exchange while pretending not to. These last five months had been extremely trying for her, what with her suicidal incident and dealing with not being able to have a child. Between all of them, they had kept close tabs on her- Lois practically taking care of her that week after they'd learned the truth, taking a week off from work. Luckily, ever since Jimmy Olsen became the new editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet a year or so ago, Lois had been pretty much allowed to do what she wanted.

Jimmy's promotion had been a surprise, too- Lois had been the first candidate for the job after Perry's unexpected death- doctors had ordered him to take some time off, due to his blood pressure issues, and he listened. For about a week. Perry White couldn't handle being separated from his paper for any longer than that. He went against all medical advice, but lasted a good six months longer.

He'd always said that if he was going to die, he wanted to die at the Planet. And he did. Perry White died jsut as he'd wanted, of cardiac arrest after yelling at some incompetent reporters, right at his desk.

After all of the mourning, and with corporate jumping down their throats to find a suitable replacement- everyone's names were being thrown out. Even Richard White had been suggested for the position- but he declined, comfortable with his own family back in England now. Faced with the reality of the situation, however, Lois realized that she had her dream job as an investigative reporter and respectfully declined. Clark had been highly reccommended, too- but he wouldn't dare take on any more responsibility. Perry White would roll in his grave if he knew Superman, of all people, ruined his newspaper just because he couldn't keep up with it all. So both reccommended Jimmy for the job- and he'd been great thus far. Turns out, Perry had really been grooming the kid for that sort of job since the beginning.

And now, since Lucy had taken over as chief photographer and photojournalist the past few years- following in her Uncle Jimmy's footsteps- it was easy for them all to watch over her in this difficult time for her. Jimmy, of course, knew the truth, and had been more than understanding throughout it all. Knowing what they had in mind today, he was sure to give them plenty of time to deal with this new decision.

Lois shook her head to clear it and return to the matter at hand. They had all just began to eat when she finally decided to speak up, chancing a look at her husband before proceeding. "Listen, Lucy, I know these last five months have been extremely difficult on you, and your father and I were just talking about-"

Lucy laughed aloud, putting her fork down on her plate and forcing herself to swallow before she choked on her food. Not that that would have done anything, but still. "I knew there was an ulterior motive. Look, I'm fine now. Really. You know that. I'm back to work- and I love what I do. It's all right now."

"But. . ." Lois prodded, sensing there was more.

Lucy brought her gaze down to her plate and began to cut her food into pieces slowly. "But I don't know anymore."

Clark frowned. "What do you mean you don't know?"

She sighed, taking a sip of freshly squeezed orange juice- courtesy of her father, of course- before answering. "It's just. . . don't tell Chris this, but. . . I feel like I don't have a purpose. I love everything and everyone in my life, no doubt there. It's just. . . is that all? Is this all I'll ever be. . . Nevermind. It's not a big deal."

Lois and Clark exchanged a careful glance. "You know sweetheart, that's not all there is to you. You're so much more than a wife, or a photographer. There's still more you could do."

Lucy met her father's gaze a moment before it dawned on her what he was saying. "Wait, you mean," she shot a glance towards her mother, who just stared at her knowingly. As if on cue, some cries were heard in the distance, causing both father and daughter to listen before deducing that the police were handling it.

"You know I can't answer every call, Lucy."

"B-but," she struggled for words, the enormity of it striking her. Sure, she'd figured one day that she or Jason would have to take up the Superman mantle, but so soon- she was only twenty-eight years old! Yeah, so her dad was much younger when he'd started, but he was the only one he had to worry about, besides some friends at work and his mother. Lucy had Chris, had her parents, and Jason and his family- it was too many variables. And besides, it always seemed too dangerous to suggest that Superman even had a family- that it would raise questions.

Clark raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "Look, I'm not saying you have to or anything like that. It was just a suggestion. I've been where you are now, Lucy. I've tried to fight it, to live without using my powers, but it's always been hard for me. Plus it gives me another purpose, an outlet of sorts. I'm just saying it might be good for you. Therapeudic, even."

"You've helped before. Maybe you just start small, help in little ways," her mother spoke up.

Lucy thought a moment. Despite her shock, it surprisingly seemed. . . right. It had always felt good to help out her dad in the past, even though no one was looking. And she did enjoy using her powers. "I guess. . . I'll have to think about it, maybe discuss it with Chris. I'd have to take up a disguise or something."

Clark smiled and shifted the glasses on his face. "You could always suddenly be afflicted with really bad eyesight, like your old man."

Lucy smiled condescendingly. "No offense Dad, but I don't think you're the best person to take advice from on the notion of subtlety."

"What's not subtle about my disguise?"

"You're flashy suit is a far cry from subtle. And your work personality is pretty ostentatious too. Takes a lot of acting. Besides, we want to differentiate from Clark Kent's daughter and Superman's. It would be obvious if we shared the same disguise. Jason's one thing, but me? Come on," she chided.

Clark frowned teasingly. His disguise was a long running joke in the family, despite the fact that even Jason had taken up the glasses disguise in order to not be associated with Superman. They looked way too much alike. "What, you don't like my glasses?"

"Mmm, they serve their purpose, I suppose," Lucy joked. Her mother laughed as Clark scowled good-naturedly. "Maybe Mom could help me come up with the disguise more."

"Way ahead of you, honey. You could wear colored contacts, maybe get bangs and plaster them back when you're in your superhero mode, hair dye, hair extensions, maybe a mask. . ."

"Why do you think your mom's better at coming up with disguises than me?"

"Clark, I've been an investigative reporter since long before you were Superman."

"Yeah, and guess whose long-standing disguise has lasted the longest. You almost always get caught, Lois."

"Well then, aren't we lucky that your nerdiness hasn't gotten in the way of saving me?"

Lucy laughed at her parents and continued to eat her breakfast, relishing the taste of blueberries in her mouth. As they finished up their meal and headed out the door, Lucy mulled over the idea. _Hmm, superhero. I suppose it wouldn't be so terrible._


	5. A Family Affair

**A/N:** I figured that I should have some fun with this while I could. This is Lucy's first outing as a real superhero. Hope you enjoy, despite its brevity, and review!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. Darn it.

*****S*****

Lucy stood on the roof of a building, taking in the sight of the city below her. She breathed in deeply. It really was a beautiful sight.

"You ready for this?" A voice spoke from behind her.

She smiled. "Yeah. I mean, it's not like I'm not prepared for this. I've been practicing my powers since I first got them, and it's not like I don't know what to do on a rescue or anything. And I'll have you to back me up- at least this time. It's just. . ." She let her sentence trail off.

"It's kind of scary having to face the press, isn't it?" Her father asked, more as a statement than a question.

She nodded. "I've seen the other side, Dad. I know how it is to be scrambling for a deadline, for a shot, for a quote- you know how it is. It's unnerving to be on the other end of it all of the sudden."

He nodded and wrapped his arm around her in an embrace. "I know how you feel. You don't have to do this, you know."

She closed her eyes against the statement, exhaling heavily. She knew that she did not have to do it, no one was forcing her to do this. And the few appearance she had made helping out had so far gone unremarked upon, so technically speaking she really didn't have to make any appearance at all. After all, Superman didn't have a family. But she forced herself to overcome her brief bout of anxiety and face the truth. "No. I have to do this. There's no going back now. You of all people know how it is."

Clark- Superman now- inclined his head gently. "True. I'm just saying. . . I know how it is on both sides of the coin. Clark Kent was different before Superman. There's no going back you know."

Lucy sighed. "I know," she breathed. They stood there together a moment, father and daughter both enjoying the peace and relative quiet of the city.

Then the alarm sounded. A bank robbery downtown. She cast one last nervous glance at her father, who nodded to her. They had their plan in place- and though Lucy wished she didn't have to start with a bank robbery, she knew this was it. She took one last deep breath and jumped off of the roof, rocketing skyward in a blinding flash of color.

She rushed into the bank at full speed, realizing too late that it was becoming a hostage situation.

The lead robber turned around slowly while speaking and pointed a gun at her. "Look, Superman, I'm sure you can appreciate that we have a little bit of a hos-o-ow. . ." his eyes practically jumped out of his head as he saw not the usual superhero standing before him, but a woman in a tightly clad, dark blue, jumpsuit-style uniform. Her dark hair was pulled into a pony tail that still ran down to her shoulder blades, despite the fact that "hair" ran around it in the form of a tie to hold it up- giving the illusion that it was longer than it actually was. Lucy had to admit to herself that she looked pretty damn good in the outfit. The red heeled boots ran up past her knees and she wore long red gloves as well. The small patch on the left side of her chest displayed the El family crest, and loose curl hung down on the right side of her forehead. A shimmery, small, dark blue mask obscured her features in the slightest.

The only thing missing was the cape.

The robbers still seemed flabbergasted, but were struggling now to at least close their mouths. Lucy gave them a polite smile and kept her voice even as she spoke. "I'm sorry, were you expecting someone else?"

The entire room was shocked into silence. Lucy heard the police beginning to arrive outside and heard their whispers increase with worry as they noticed it was not Superman standing up to the robbers.

"Y-you. . . you're not-" one robber tried, but she cut him off.

"Superman?" She looked herself up and down. "No. That I am not."

Their expressions did not change. Then, all of the sudden, the front man turned and opened fire on her. Lucy braced herself and felt the bullets bounce off her as if they were nothing. Jaws dropped as the man stopped firing. Lucy shrugged. "My turn now." Suddenly she was gone, and before anyone could blink, all of their weapons were confiscated and the bad guys tied up. She opened the door to the bank to allow the police in and walked out to the throng of people awaiting.

Lucy stared at them all a bit self consciously to start, and unconsciously decided to take up her father's posture by crossing her arms and giving everyone a polite smile. Cameras and phones were raised in an effort to get a picture of her, voices rising up to try to get her attention. She kept grace under pressure however, and nodded and waved politely in the same manner she had watched her father do her entire life.

Suddenly Superman appeared, landing behind her in a flourish, and everyone turned to look at him. He tried to appear surprised but stern, not wanting to state it outright that this was his daughter just yet. Several cabs pulled up, one of which Lois Lane-Kent practically ran out of, followed by Gil and another photographer from the Daily Planet. Flashbulbs were going off like mad as Lucy turned to face her father.

"Looks like you beat me to the punch," he said, successfully fighting off a grin.

She arched a fine eyebrow at him. "Looks like it," was all she said before turning back to the crowd with an air of indifference towards her father. She liked to think that she was a much better actor than he was.

"Miss. . . um, miss. . . What is your name, miss?"

"Who are you? Are you from Krypton, too?"

"I thought Superman was the last of his kind?"

"Yeah, Supes, who's the hottie?" the lead robber managed to ask as he was being cuffed and escorted out of the bank.

Clark sent a sharp glare to the man as he whipped his head up. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and spoke in a fairly even tone, though his expression remained sterner than usual. "That "hottie" would be my daughter, and I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about her like that within my hearing range, understand?"

Lucy snapped her head up to face her father at hearing his words. "_Dad_," she whispered so that no one could hear her. That wasn't their plan. They had said they were going to leave the public guessing a while, and when it was necessary to come out they would tell them the truth- that she was Superman's daughter. Not divulge the secret the second Clark decided to get protective of his daughter- though in all honesty, she was lucky he had lasted this long. He hadn't exactly approved of her choice of attire- in particular the low-cut neckline of the jumpsuit. He kept suggesting she zip it up a little higher, which Lucy responded to with a roll of her eyes- but for the most part he remained respectfully silent on the issue. He was no one to talk when it came to tight clothing, after all.

He turned towards her and nearly shrugged before stopping himself- Superman wouldn't shrug off anything. "It's not like they wouldn't have figured it out eventually." He placed a smile on his face once more, turning away from the shocked looks he was receiving from both the robber and anyone around who heard his comment.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" the chief of police managed to ask after collecting himself.

It was Lucy's turn to address them. "He said the truth. I'm-" Suddenly she broke off and a similar expression entered into the countenances of both super heroes, listening in the distance. Lucy paled slightly with the realization of the scope of the damage, and cast her father a wary glance, as if to ask with her eyes, _Are you sure_?

He nodded briefly before Superman's expression sobered. "We have to go." With that Clark took off to the sky in a blur of color, not even able to see his direction before the pop of a sonic boom could be heard.

Lucy stayed behind a moment, securing the gazes of everyone around before flashing a slight smile. "Sorry, guys. Dad's right. Gotta fly." With that she, too, blurred and disappeared from sight, a sonic boom sounding above their heads.

For a brief moment, everyone was engulfed in a stunned silence.

Then the crowd exploded in a cacophony of noise. Questions were being asked of the police, people were yelling into cell phones, everyone bustling about with excitement.

*****S*****

When Lucy finally came home that night, she found her husband waiting for her with a bottle of champagne. She smiled and practically collapsed into his waiting embrace.

*****S*****


	6. Follow Up

**A/N:** Here's an update on this one- it's been a little while, but I decided to pick up on this story first after completing "Just Three Simple Words". It's in the same vein. Technically, it's like a sequel in the sense that it follows the life of Lucy (born at the end of said story). But anyways- I've got a solid outline for this story, though I may not be able to update consistently due to busy schedule and real life trying to bring me down. Enjoy, and review!

**Disclaimer:** DC Comics and Warner Bros. , and anybody else who may be involved, own any trademarked characters, locations, or anything else that may be listed under the rights to the Superman franchise. There is a slight nod to the television show "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" as well (fans will spot it off the bat). I cannot lay claim to any of this, excepting loose plotline and borrowing their products for my own pleasure.

* * *

><p>Chris heard his wife fly in through the window of their apartment and stood from his place on the couch, grinning. "Hey sweetheart. How was your day?"<p>

"Fine," she sighed. "But I'm glad it's over." She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. She started to pull away when her husband's arms snaked around her waist and kept her firmly in place. She arched an eyebrow in surprise but relented to her husband's kisses. "Mmm, what's the occasion?" she murmured against his lips.

"Does a man need an occasion to show his wife he loves her?" They collapsed onto the couch behind him, hands roaming and mouths fighting for superiority.

"No," Lucy responded emphatically, and kissed him some more. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, and he gave a small groan. Chris' hands came up to rest at her hips and he broke apart briefly.

"Do you know just how sexy this suit is?"

"Oh really?" She purred. "I was not aware of that. Perhaps you can explain your opinions?"

"Well," he began, trailing his hands up and down her thighs, "For starters, it clings in all the right places. Very figure flattering."

"Mmhmm. That's the spandex for you," she mumbled as she straddled his lap. He had to stifle another groan as she leaned down and kissed him again, her body shifting above him. "And?"

"Well, surely you must know that every guy in the world is dreaming of doing what I'm doing to you right now, UltraWoman. The fact that I am makes it all the more satisfying."

"Anything else?" she asked breathlessly as her husband caught her lips again in a soft caress of his own.

"Aaaaanndd, since it's a jumpsuit, it's relatively simple to get you out of quick." His hand deftly reached for the zipper that was barely covering her cleavage and slowly pulled it down until it was open to her waist. There were no more words between them as they lost themselves in the sensation of each others' kisses.

So lost, in fact, that when the doorbell rang, Lucy squealed and they fell off the couch and onto the floor with a thud, Lucy now on bottom. She giggled at the surprised look on her husband's face at their sudden and very literal tumble. Chris stared lovingly into his wife's eyes and was about to kiss her again, when the doorbell rang a second time.

And very suddenly, he remembered.

"OH, CRAP!" Chris sprang up off the floor and off of his wife's very alluring body, knocking his head on the coffee table in the process. He winced and rubbed the back of his head, muttering some coarse words before beginning to collect himself. He began to button up his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair, hoping that nobody would notice his nearly strangled appearance. "Get dressed," he whispered to his wife.

Lucy fixed him with a questioning gaze before glancing at the door, looking through it. "What's wro- What are my parents doing here? Chris?" She, too, jumped to her feet and collected herself, albeit on a much faster pace. Now in the clothes she had originally left work in, she made sure everything was in perfect order in the room.

"Sorry. I meant to tell you that they called and asked if they could stop by for dinner tonight and talk about the follow-up article on UltraWoman. I said yes, but I didn't remember until-"

A slight rap came at the door, but it was stopped short. Lucy heard her father whisper to her mother that they should give them a minute in case they weren't ready yet. She cringed. _Oh, God. _He had _heard_? She fought a rising blush. This was starting to feel eerily familiar to a time long ago, back when she and Chris were only engaged, and her father had stopped by on their very late and "very inappropriate" date night just to "drop off some papers" and maybe "offer Chris a ride home" afterwards. She hadn't spoken to her dad for two weeks because he had invaded her privacy and because of what he had threatened to do to Chris if he'd ever even think about touching her that way again before they were married. It had taken a lot of coaxing and yelling and begging and fighting to finally reach a mutual agreement between the two of them, but there was never any issues again. And she had rarely ever had issues with her father to begin with.

Lucy breathed in deeply and cast a glance at Chris, who looked relatively normal again, and opened the door with a smile.

"Mom, Dad! What a nice surprise to see you here!"

Lois gave her daughter a look that said she knew Lucy felt otherwise, but Clark kept up his fake smile. "May we come in?" he gestured.

"Yeah, yeah, come on in. We were just, um, getting ready for dinner." Lucy couldn't manage to keep herself from blushing. She knew it was nothing to be ashamed of, really. They'd been married for four, almost five years now, and both her parents knew they'd been trying for a baby, even. Still, she couldn't eliminate the embarrarssment she felt at knowing her parents _knew_ they were about to have sex. Chris looked just as uncomfortable with it, recalling with a strong clarity that one night when Superman had nearly castrated him with laser vision and had traumatized him with the threat.

"Lois, Clark," Chris nodded to his inlaws in succession, rocking on the balls of his feet, his hands stuffed in his back pockets so that he wouldn't have to shake their hands.

"Hey, Chris," Lois spoke cheerily, leaning in and planting a light kiss on his cheek. She had no qualms about whatever had gone on between the two earlier- they were husband and wife, and Lois was a bit more open about relationships than her stiff, conservative, Midwestern, alien of a husband.

Clark shook his head as if to clear his mind of the dark path it was traveling and clapped his son-in-law genially on the shoulder. "Hey, Chris. How's it going?"

"Doing swell," he responded with a smile, recalling the typical family response.

Clark chuckled and headed off to the kitchen, and both Chris and Lucy released a sigh of relief that neither had been aware they were holding in. "So, did you guys wanna eat at home or just order some takeout? I figured it would be best if we conducted this interview in private."

"Um, takeout I guess," Lucy responded, following her father into the apartment kitchen. "I'm not exactly in the mood to cook, so unless you want to whip up something really quick, I think that'd be easier."

Clark nodded. "All right. Chinese food sound okay?"

"Ooh, that sounds great!" Lois' voice floated through the room as Clark spun into his Superman outfit and took off in a rush of air. Chris excused himself to go to the bathroom, leaving Lucy with her mother.

Lois arched an eyebrow pointedly at her daughter, who merely shrugged in response. "What? It's that damn spandex."

Lois' features broke into a large grin. "Don't I know it," she responded.

Lucy grimaced, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "Too much information, Mom. Way too much." Lois laughed as Chris re-entered the kitchen, looking slightly more orderly.

"What's so funny?" he asked curiously.

Lucy shot her mother a pointed "don't-say-a-word" look, which Lois promptly ignored. "Oh, just spandex and the libido enhancing qualities it seems to possess," she quipped.

"Mother!"

Chris smirked at her and wrapped his arm consolingly around his wife's shoulders. "Now there's an article the world will never get to see," he commented drily. Lois grinned at him as Lucy managed to put her head in her hands and groan in frustration. "So," her husband continued, leading them to a new topic, "Jimmy wanted something better?"

Lois nodded. "Yeah. He said the press conference was good- got the basics across to all the media, but we still don't know enough about this UltraWoman character. He wants the 'dirt' on her," she mimed air quotes. "Of course, in private, Jimmy just wants us to come up with a clever Daily Planet exclusive with as little dirt as possible. Well, some dirt, but you know what he means."

Lucy nodded slowly. "Right. So you want to do a piece on... me?"

A gust of wind entered the room and Clark had returned with their takeout. "Not exactly. We were thinking something along the lines of a double interview. Father-daughter thing. That way, it can seem like Superman's still introducing UltraWoman to the media and is a little bit wary, and so that it seems like that's the only way how he can try to monitor what she says. It's Superman holding his cards close to his chest..."

"Not a reporting team from the Daily Planet doing the protecting for him," Lucy concluded for her father, nodding in comprehension as they all filled their plates with food. "When?"

"Anytime within the next couple of days. So long as nobody else manages to scoop us- which we can pretty much guarantee that they won't, Jimmy's giving us the time. By Friday, latest." Clark sat down, snapped his chopsticks in two, and got to eating.

"What else are you going to cover?" Chris asked warily, with a piece of orange chicken halfway to his mouth. They'd already touched on several topics at the press conference that they'd felt were relevant to the world's knowledge, and left no time for questions. "I mean, they know she's your daughter, that she has your powers and is here to help. What more could we give out without being too revealing?"

Clark suddenly grew very quiet and took interest in his food. Lois tensed and crossed her arms in front of her chest, squaring her jaw. Obviously her parents had already had a big argument about whatever this article was going to entail. Lucy felt her gut clench up. "What?" she asked warily.

Clark cast a careful glance at his wife, who refused to speak for him at the moment. "Well, we have several various options to discuss. First of all, we were wondering if you and Chris would be comfortable... not with coming out, of course, but... if we said that you were unavailable. You know, for dating. It might-"

"I don't think that will do much good, Dad," Lucy replied shaking her head. "I mean, then they can make guesses as to who, where, why, when... and besides. I know your concern- but you know as well as I do that just saying your in a relationship- you coming outright and stating that you have a _family_- isn't enough to stop the comments. Is that what the problem's all about?" She glanced between her parents.

"Ha!" Lois let out a short laugh, and Clark gave her an irritated stare. "You should know us better than that by now, Luce. That isn't the half of it. You wanna know why I'm upset? Your father wants to tell the world that you're not invulnerable to Kryptonite. Kryptonite! As if that's a sure fire way to keep the bad guys from hurting you, telling them exactly what to do to try and hurt you."

"WHAT?" Both Lucy and her husband asked in unison, turning to an accutely uncomfortable Clark Kent.

"It's not how it sounds. I have my reasons."

"Name them," Chris' voice came out harsh and accusatory.

"Well, for starters, I think it's best for the public to know that you're not completely invulnerable. Make them trust you," Clark appealed his case to his daughter, knowing she'd understand him best. "They won't be comfortable if they believe that Superman had offspring that has no weakness. Like you're stronger than me. The public will be wary of you for a while, mostly because they feel I've lied to them for years and aren't sure if they can trust you yet. You haven't proven yourself. It'll be harder if they think there's nothing out there that can stop you."

"As if we want the world to be able to stop you!" Lois fumed, presenting her side of the case. "It was a mistake on my part to ever publish the existence of Kryptonite in the first place- a mistake for your father to admit to it. But the point being, why would we want the government, criminals or megalomaniac evil villains to know exactly the substance that can incapacitate and possibly kill our little girl?"

Clark spoke patiently but with a slight strain to his tone, as though he had explained this multiple times already. "Because if we don't tell the public, then they'll try it anyways. All of the people that would use Kryptonite already have access to it and will try it out just for kicks. Think of it this way: if we lie, and say it has absolutely no effect on her, then people will be afraid and there will still be people who will try it. And the second someone tries it, and proves we were lying, then there goes everyone's trust in us- because we lied yet again. And then they'll know anyways. If we say we don't know the effect it has on her, then it will prompt even more people to attempt to attack her with it, because it's unknown and she'll still get hurt and it will be unexpected for everyone. If we admit the truth, then those that would have used it anyways are covered, and no extraneous testing should be done. And we gain the trust of the public."

There was a brief silence among them as they all reflected on Clark's argument. Chris finally shook his head. "Clark, I think that-"

"Okay," Lucy cut him off, surprising everyone.

Chris' eyebrows jumped to his hairline. "Okay? Honey, you didn't let me finish. I was going to say no. I'm going to have to side with your mom on this one- how can you say okay to telling the world you can only be killed by Kryptonite? How is that right to the rest of us?"

"Thank you, Chris!" Lois uttered her support.

Lucy shrugged. "What can I say? The man's right. Dad knows what he's talking about. He's been dealing with issues as Superman since way longer than any of the rest of us. I trust his judgement, on this matter at least. Why can't you guys?"

"Lucy, honey, you're my wife. I can't help it if I don't want the world to know your weaknesses- especially not a world that's out to get you."

"It's not your decision to make," she shot back at her husband.

"Lucy," her mother cut in, "You have to at least see where we're coming from. We only want the best for you. To protect you."

"What about your credibility as a reporter, huh, Mom? What about that? What if people all of the sudden start asking whether Lane and Kent have gone soft, when they see that you don't ask the hard-hitting questions? The Kryptonite questions. It has to be addressed."

"Honey, I could care less about my job or reputation as a reporter when your life is on the line. I care more about you, about my family than I do I stupid story." A tense silence fell upon them, broken only by one man's voice.

"Sweetheart," Clark cut in with his stern Superman voice. "I'm leaving the choice up to you. Your mom and husband both have very valid points here. I don't want to see you get hurt any more than they do. So if you're uncomfortable with the idea, we don't have to go through with it. I've expressed part of my opinion. My objective opinion. However, if I were to weigh in the fact that you are my daughter, I'd agree with them too. I'm just giving you some options. You choose."

Lucy looked between her three family members carefully. Her mother's expression was strained at best, a cross between anger and irritation. Her husband's expression was full of compassion and concern, but his eyes spoke that he would back up whatever she chose to do. Her father's expression remained patient but concerned.

Lucy took a deep breath. "No. I have to do it. Dad's right. For just this once," she cast a glance at her mother, who appeared ready to protest. "This is what we have to do."

There was a slight pause before her father spoke once more. "You're sure about this?"

Lucy thought a moment longer, before nodding a response.

Clark nodded in acceptance, and Lois looked to the floor. Chris wrapped his arms around his wife from behind and pressed a kiss onto her jaw.

Lucy only hoped she had made the right decision.

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><p><strong>AN:** Review, please!


	7. Obsession

**A/N:** Another update. Wanted to throw Jason in here. :)

**Edit 8/30/2013:** Found some major typos in here, so on the off chance that re-uploading this chapter accidentally sends an update, you're welcome to read it, but no major changes have been made. Maybe an extra few words here or there.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. Read and review.

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><p>"You don't ever see yourself doing something like this one day?" Lucy asked, sitting- or rather, floating in a seated position midair- in her brother's kitchen, holding her eleven month old nephew in her arms. He seemed to be thrilled with the fact that they weren't touching the ground, and sucked on his pacifier contentedly.<p>

Jason smirked at her briefly before chilling a bottle of wine with an icy breath. "Sure. I can do that any time I want. Exactly that." He set down the bottle on the counter and reached out for his son, wanting to hold him in his arms.

Lucy pulled back slightly, not giving in. "You know what I mean, Jason. Don't be smart, you brat. The Superman thing."

Jason sighed in exasperation and finally managed to take his little son out of his auntie's arms. "Lucy, we've been over this before. I'm glad, really glad, that you've decided to follow Dad into the family business. And part of me wishes I could. But I can't. And a large majority of me doesn't want to. Besides, you guys got it covered."

Lucy frowned at the absence of child in her arms and touched down on the ground, crossing her arms. "I know that. I'm not begging for your help, you big fat loser," she teased. A wry smile worked its way across his face. Lucy was relentless in everything- much like their mother. That didn't exclude teasing.

Or in this case, dropping a subject Jason didn't exactly feel up to pursuing.

"I'm not saying, but I'm just saying. You know?"

Jason looked at his sister as if she were crazy. "Um, no. That actually made no sense whatsoever. And coming from someone who is the child of two famous reporters and is a photojournalist herself, I'd expect something more from you," he teased right back.

She scowled at him, and if he didn't know better, he'd have said she was going to use her heat vision on him. "But doesn't some part of you want to be able to just go out there and... fly? Be yourself? You can use your powers out there, put them to good use- actually help people. It feels so good, Jason," her voice began to trail off as she got a reflective look in her eyes.

A strange look entered into Jason's eyes as he glanced over his sister and her very taken expression. He tried to keep the oncoming frown from wrinkling his features, but it wasn't easy. "You know what, Luce, I'm gonna go put Sammie down in his crib for a nap really quick, then we can talk more, okay?"

Lucy snapped out of it and looked over at the boy in her brother's arms. "Aw, do you have to? He's much better company," she cooed at the boy, brushing her nose up against his. He giggled at her and reached out for another hug.

Jason rolled his eyes at his sister. "You're just going to wind him up again," he warned.

"Oh, fine," she pouted. "Be a good boy and go night-night, Sammie."

The boy knew what night-night meant. Lucy had to stifle a laugh as his eyes grew almost comically wide and he repeated her. "Nigh-nigh?" He felt his father pull him away and he suddenly knew where this was heading. "No!" he practically shrieked. "No, no, no, no! Lu-Lu!" He reached out for his aunt one last time.

"Shh-sh-shhh," she comforted placing a finger over his lips. "It's okay. Just a quick little nap and then we'll be back. Kay?"

Her soothing seemed to work, and he relaxed back into his father's arms and allowed himself to be carried away- though not without a very pronounced and trademarked Mad Dog frown. "Be right back," Jason whispered to her as he left the room.

Lucy sighed and nodded, even knowing he had left the room. She waited patiently, wondering what her brother possibly needed to say without his son in the room. It's not like he would have understood anything- after all, he was only going to turn one next month.

He was back sooner than she expected. She gave him an expectant stare. "So? What's so important, bro?"

He gave her the quizzical look again before shaking his head. "What were we talking about again?"

"We were talking about why you didn't want to get into the Superman business," she responded coolly.

"Ah. Well, actually, I believe you were talking about that and I was trying to get you off my case," he goaded, the corners of his mouth twisting up into a smile.

Lucy gave him a snide smile. "Ha, ha. I'm serious, Jason. I know you've got your hands full with Maisie and the kids- and I'm not even saying that you should do it now. I don't think you should. But when? I'm telling you, you'd love it. You can use your powers, Jason!"

He shook his head at her. "I can use my powers just fine right here," he stated, floating to prove his point.

"You know what I mean. You can actually help people. You don't have to hide out there."

Jason's expression sobered. "Isn't that exactly what you're doing, though? Hiding out there?"

She shrugged and turned towards his fridge, raiding it for something she could snack on. "Well, yeah. I guess. But it's just a mask, you know? Not like I'm hiding what I can do from the world. Not like Lucy does."

"That's not what I meant by hiding, Luce."

She frowned and turned back to face him, empty-handed. "What do you mean?"

He gave an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "You don't think you're diving into this UltraWoman thing a little much?"

"I'm helping people, Jason. I'm sorry if that bothers you. Should I help people less?"

"No, I'm just saying. Even when you don't have to go help people, it's all you ever talk about anymore. It's like you're not even using UltraWoman as a disguise. You said yourself: it's freeing. Lucy's become more of a shell of a person."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're running away from her."

"I am not running away from anything. I'm just embracing something new. Can't you be happy for me, Jason? I'm doing something I like."

"You like doing photography. You like working at the Daily Planet. You like coming home and spending time with your husband, Lucy! You don't have to like the thing that keeps you away from your family!"

"Why are you so sure that I can't like both?"

"You can, Lucy, it's just that things have their place."

"And what place is that? Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do? You think just because you're seven years older than me means you're wiser and you can still boss me around? I'm my own person, Jason-"

"No, you're not anymore! You're throwing Lucy away for somebody else entirely- and you can't be that person full time! UltraWoman is not your own person, she's the world's!"

"I'm not giving up on Lucy, Jason-"

"Yeah? When's the last time you and Chris tried again for a baby?"

A sudden silence came between them. Jason could see he'd hurt his sister, but she had to see sense. Something had to be said- the rest of his family walked on eggshells around her ever since she'd first found out she couldn't have kids over a year ago now. Mostly because that's the way Lucy played it, too. The victim.

Well, to hell with it. This was his baby sister. If anybody could speak frankly with her, it would be him. And Jason wasn't going to watch her repeat the mistakes his parents had made before she was born.

Finally, Lucy squared her shoulders and blinked away the tears in her eyes. "About four weeks ago, not that it's any of your business. And I really appreciate you throwing that in my face, too, Jason."

His shoulders sagged a bit. "I'm not trying to throw anything in your face. It's just... that's your life, Lucy. You used to always talk about it- having kids, trying to have kids, what you could do now that you ca... might not be able to. Now, it's like that part of you doesn't even exist. You haven't even told me if you've heard back from the adoption facility yet- and you called them over a month ago. All I ever hear about now is UltraWoman."

Lucy took a seat on a barstool at the kitchen island and laid her head on the cool granite in defeat. Jason stayed where he was, leaning against the counter top behind him. He wanted to comfort her, to go over there and tell her it was okay and that he was her brother and he would protect her and do whatever he could to help. But he had to let her work through this first. He couldn't cater to her now.

"I..." she tried, but her voice trailed off. Tears were burning in her eyes, making it difficult to focus. She lifted her head from the table and looked her brother sadly in the eye. "I heard back from them," she spoke slowly. "They said... that it wasn't likely. That we'd have to make a lot of changes to our lives, and with our careers it would be very difficult to manage, and we'd have to prove a lot. Prove we could change. But in our current circumstances, they said no."

Jason felt his heart sink and he looked to the floor. He knew how important it was- to be able to adopt if she couldn't have any kids herself. "I'm so sorry, Lucy." Finally he went over to her and wrapped his arms around her. Lucy burried her face into his sleeve and finally started crying. Jason closed his eyes and felt his heart constrict with pain. He knew how much that meant to her. To have it all ripped away... "So that's why... why you've-"

"Yeah," she cut him off, pulling out of her brother's arms and brushing away her tears. "I mean, I can't stop it from hurting, but for a couple of hours a day... I can try. I don't have to think about it, and people love me. They don't look at me strangely at the office or pester me with questions about how I'm feeling. I just exist, Jason. That's all I can handle, right now."

Jason sighed and nodded. "I know. And I'm proud of you for even being able to that much. I mean, I don't think I could handle it as well as you are. It's just... the problems, Lucy. They don't just... disappear because you want them to, or because you've got to go rescue a cat from a tree. Those are just distractions, Lucy. It's only going to set you back."

It was Lucy's turn to sigh. "Yeah, I know."

They stayed there in a heavy silence, but no longer tense. Finally, Jason cracked a smile. "I just don't want you ending up like Mom and Dad did."

Lucy frowned. "What are you talking about? Mom and Dad are fine. I'd think myself lucky to turn out like them."

"Not them now, but years ago. Before you were born. You know when Mom's upset, how she throws herself into a story- and that's about all that she occupies her time with?" Lucy knew it well, she had grown up around it her whole life. "Well, when Dad's upset or worried, he runs away. I just think it's funny how you seem to have the perfect mix of both of those problems."

Lucy rolled her eyes at him. "Dad doesn't run away when he's upset anymore."

"Not as much, no, but he used to. And even now, when work or a rescue upset him, or whenever he and Mom would have a fight, he'd go out for a quick flight or something to cool down." Lucy chuckled to herself. "What I was talking about though was when I was little. Dad ran away from his problems with Mom, and let himself just be Superman. For five years, Lucy. He was lucky to be able to come back at all to being Clark Kent. Then later, when he finally told Mom everything, she threw herself into her work. When she finally came around to accepting him, Mom told me that he'd tried to run away again, saying it wasn't safe for her or for me. Luckily, he saw sense, otherwise you'd never have come around," he teased, tugging a lock of her hair playfully.

Lucy frowned petulantly and shoved her brother out of the way. He laughed at the expression on her face. It was strange- sometimes she forgot how much older than her Jason was. In some ways, a lot of ways, they had completely different childhoods. Lucy finally found the words to speak. "I think... I understand what you're saying. It's just a hard thing to do. I feel like I'm risking a lot... with moving on. I don't know if I can do it. Don't know if my heart can handle it."

Jason punched her lightly on the arm. "Hey, of course you can do it. You can do anything. You're UltraWoman, remember?" She smiled. "Besides, you have to come to terms with it someday. May as well stop torturing yourself and try to move on today."

Lucy nodded. "I know," she stated, then smiled tightly at her big brother. "Thanks, by the way."

He shrugged. "Hey, no big deal."

"No, it was. I'm glad you did that. All everyone else seems to want to do is just baby me. I needed a smack upside the head."

Jason grinned. "I'm always willing to oblige you that," he quipped, followed by actually knocking her head slightly. Lucy laughed and tried to elbow him in the ribcage, but instead ended up falling out of her seat as he sped to the other side of his kitchen.

"Jerk," she mutttered darkly as she picked herself up and he laughed at her. Suddenly both of them froze as they heard screams coming from far away. Lucy paled. "I gotta go."

Jason nodded, knowing that this would require her help even if Superman showed up to help. "Yeah. Be back for dinner?"

She shrugged. "I'll do my best. Tell Sammie I love him."

Jason grinned as his sister spun into costume, fixing her hair and applying the mask at the end. "Will do," he replied. She tipped him a lazy salute and flew off without looking back.


	8. Good News

**A/N:** I'm back! If not briefly... I got a review on another story and it reminded me that I really should be updating these... but since life has become quite hectic and I find that I'm having less and less free time on my hands, I can't really update these all that often. But, it was enough to get me motivated to start thinking about these stories again, and I was able to patch up a chapter for this one rather quickly. :) So without further ado, please enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own anything. If you haven't figured that out by now, then I don't know how to help you.

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><p>Lucy sat on the toilet in her bathroom waiting. And waiting. And waiting. She jogged her knee up and down impatiently. For someone who could break the sound barrier, five minutes was an excrutiatingly long amount of time. It had already been two minutes and twenty-seven seconds. Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine... <em>Stop it, Luce. You're killing yourself.<em> She forced herself to relax, giving in to the moment and trying to let her thoughts run freely.

_It's not possible._

Her body seemed to be telling her otherwise. And telling the rest of the world otherwise. Lucy grimaced as she thought of the horrified onlookers who'd watched her as she'd emptied her lunch and the remaining contents of her stomach into the nearest trash receptical. She'd played it off- remnants of some kryptonite poisoning she'd been in contact with about... six weeks ago now. Not that she'd said it had been that long for her. She'd just said that she must have run into some kryptonite and it was making her sick. Everyone took her word for it. After all, she was UltraWoman. And much like her father, UltraWoman didn't lie.

_Oh, you lie. You lie all the time. Usually on the bed- sometimes the ceiling or the floor- spending quality time with your husband..._

She berated her inner self. Now wasn't the time to think about that.

_Isn't it, though?_

Well, yes, maybe it was. She thought back to all those times- all those times they'd tried, the times she'd sat here in this exact same spot, waiting for a test result- only to be met with bitter disappointment and shared tears with Chris.

_What if this is the same? What if it's all just in your head and you go through all of this heartache again just because you think it might be it this time?_

That was possibly the scariest thing. She and Chris had been trying for a baby for so long, and had so many attempts end in failure... They'd sworn to each other that they'd never stop trying, but it was no longer exactly something they'd been holding their breath for. But still... they'd pretty much come to terms with the fact- the nearly positive assumption- that they couldn't have kids. Even adoption facilities turned them down. Lucy was risking her heart all over again, just because... what? She got air sick and was late on her period and suddenly decided to test once again just to be sure? She was risking a great deal of disappointment for something that's chances were slim to none.

_It is possible, though, isn't it?_

Time frame-wise, yes. Yes, it was possible. In fact, the time frame was about the only thing that gave Lucy reason to believe it might actually be a possibility. About six weeks now.

_The kryptonite incident._

Kryptonite.

Ridiculous. That's what it was. Ridiculous to assume that the very thing that came so close to taking her life could have possibly given her the chance to create one. Quite the double edged sword. How could that possibly be both one of the worst and best days of her life- if this came to be true? Which was still something she didn't allow herself to hope in...

The timer on the oven dinged. Lucy quickly- though not too quickly- went out to turn it off before returning to her place in the bathroom. She closed her eyes tightly, in a near prayer, hoping that this wouldn't be the one that killed her. She wrapped her hand around the test and brought it tight against her chest. With one last deep breath, Lucy opened her eyes. She gingerly uncurled her fingers from around it and looked searchingly at the little symbol on the white stick.

She blinked.

Then frowned briefly.

_I've never seen that symbol on here before_, she mused absently.

That was when reality hit her.

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. Not allowing herself to get her hopes too high just yet, she compared the test to the symbols on the box, glancing at the instructions for use just to be sure. Then her features broke into an all-out grin.

_I'm pregnant._ She smiled at the thought before whispering her words out loud. "I'm pregnant." She laughed and jumped to her feet, giddy with happiness. "I'm pregnant!"

Suddenly she heard the door to her apartment opening and slamming shut again as her husband's near frantic footsteps paced around the apartment in search of her. "Lucy? Hon? Sweetie, is everything all right? I heard what happened on the news- did you run into some more kryptonite? Are you okay?"

Lucy rushed out of the bathroom and fiercely embraced her husband. He petted her hair. "It's okay, sweetheart, it'll be okay, you've just got to work it through your system, that's all-"

She pulled away with a puzzled look on her face. "What? Oh, no. Honey, it's not kryptonite."

Chris frowned. "Oh. Well that's good then, I guess. But what-"

Lucy grinned widely and pressed the test into his hands. Her husband looked down at it, at the little symbol on the white stick. She could see the immediate gut reaction- his eyes wide and him almost smiling in surprise, then carefully closing down and guarding himself. He cleared his throat. "Um, what am I looking at here?"

Lucy bit her lip. "It's a pregnancy test."

Chris lifted his gaze to her face and locked eyes with her, hope filling his expression. "And?"

She finally smiled at him. "What do you think?" She showed him the labels on the box which clearly depicted the meaning of the symbols.

Chris' features broke out into an all-out grin and he let out a laugh before capturing his wife's lips for a loving, passionate kiss. "You're pregnant," he whispered into her hair after a few minutes of trying to catch their breath.

Lucy's eyes sparkled in kind. "I'm pregnant," she affirmed with a smile.

"But... how...?"

"Remember six weeks ago, when those bank robbers exposed me to that chunk of kryptonite? It knocked out my powers for a couple of days."

Understanding dawned on him suddenly. "So the kryptonite... it must have done something. Lowered your defenses or something like that. And then we-"

"-Were able to make a baby, yes."

Concern furrowed her husband's brow. "We need to tell your parents."

Lucy groaned playfully. "Ugh, now? I mean, we just found out. Couldn't we just... spend some time processing it by ourselves, for now?"

Chris missed her hints. "Honey, I'm serious. This is big news. And it's more than just that. What if... what if the fact that there's kryptonite involved in the process... changes things? What if this pregnancy ends up hurting you? Or the baby? Your parents need to know what happened and how and-"

"If you really want them to know, maybe we should just make them a tape," she grumbled in frustration. Chris blinked at her. Lucy would have laughed at his expression if he weren't being so irritating. "Babe, I'm kidding. It's just... the second they know, we won't have a moment for ourselves. Can't we celebrate without making this a big deal?"

His features softened and he stepped closer towards her, so that he could place his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. It's just, I'm not used to this. I'm used to worrying like crazy and running around constantly. But we don't have to do that anymore." He slid his hand down her body until it rested on her abdomen.

Lucy's eyes shone bright, and Chris' gaze matched hers in intensity. He brought his lips against hers tenderly, caressing them, expressing all his emotion in that one simple action. When they parted for breath, they both returned their stares, gazing deeply into each others eyes.

"I love you so much," Chris whispered reverently.

"Oh, Chris," she murmured. "I love you too."

Chris smiled and in one fluid motion, lifted her into his arms, heading directly for their bedroom.

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><p><strong>Read and Review, please!<strong>


	9. Spoiler

**A/N:** Another short chapter. But it's better than nothing, right? Which is what I've been doing typically...

**Disclaimer:**I hate having to repeat myself. But it would seem that for some people out there that it bears repeating... I do not own Superman!

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><p>"You ready to do this?" her husband asked her one last time.<p>

Lucy bit her lip and nodded. Chris rapped his knuckles on the door three times. It swung open almost immediately.

"There you guys are! We were wondering when you were going to show up. Come on, dinner's almost ready." Jason's wife, Maisie, ushered them inside quickly, all smiles.

Hugs were exchanged, and their three children came rushing up to say hello to their aunt and uncle. Lucy was all smiles. "Hey, are my parents here yet?"

"In here, sweetheart!" She heard her mother call. Chris took her jacket for her and exchanged a quick glance with her, giving her shoulder a squeeze before walking past and putting her stuff down. Lucy strode into her brother's living room nervously, but trying not to let it show. She waved to Jason in the kitchen, who gave her a curious look but waved back. Lois stood up and gave her daughter a hug.

Clark's eyes were wide as she turned to face him, and his face pale. He steadily turned and set his beer down on the coffee table before turning back to face his daughter with a look of awe and surprise undisguised on his features.

"You're pregnant," he spoke surely.

Suddenly the room went silent. Lucy's mouth hung open in the slightest, staring at her father in shock. As everyone else stared at her in shock. Chris was standing behind her father, having just walked into the room, staring at her with his eyes wide.

Lucy squared her jaw suddenly and leveled an icy glare onto her father. "What makes you think that, Dad?"

"Well, aren't you?" He looked at her expectantly, glancing down at her stomach with a pointed look.

She flushed as she glanced at the floor. "As a matter of fact, yes. I am. Thank you, Clark, for saying so." She turned on her heel and walked back towards the entryway in a huff. "Chris, where'd you put my coat? Ah, nevermind," she called back to her husband.

Clark was completely taken aback by his daughter's reaction. He looked to his wife, bewildered, noting her disapproving glare. He shrugged. "What did I do?"

Lois rolled her eyes and stood up from her place on the couch once again and went after her daughter. "Lucy..."

Clark stood stationary, wondering what had set her off. He turned and faced Chris, who inexplicably also was looking at him with disapproval. Clark heard his wife and daughter arguing in the other room, barely even needing to use his special hearing to make out what they were saying.

_"Lucy, just wait a minute-"_

_"No! I don't want to spend another second looking at that man!"_

_"Come on, Lucy. You know he didn't mean it. He's just stupid sometimes."_

_"Sometimes? Ha! No. I'm done here."_

Clark knew he had to do something. Picking up his beer bottle once again, he made his way over towards them.

"Can you at least talk with me? Come on. Don't punish yourself or the rest of us just because of some stupid comment your father made."

"Stupid comment? Is that all you think it was? Just a stupid comment? Mom, do you realize how long I've been waiting to make that kind of announcement to everyone? And he just went and blew it all for me!"

Clark felt his heart plummet, suddenly realizing exactly what he had done. His shoulders sagged and he swallowed. "Sweetheart-"

She whirled on him, fury in her eyes. "No, Dad. Don't you 'sweetheart' me."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say anything."

"Then why did you?!"

"I just... I was so surprised and overjoyed. I mean, when I heard that other heartbeat, I couldn't just let it go. I'll admit, I didn't think it through, but I couldn't wait to find out if what I heard was real. I'm sorry I ruined it for you."

Lucy ran her tongue over her front teeth, but Clark saw the tears in her eyes that indicated how hurt she was still. She was holding onto her anger to keep herself from breaking down. She looked at her feet before continuing. "Do you realize, Dad, that this might be the only time I can ever say that? I might not ever get another chance at this again." She met his gaze, firmly, but shaking ever so slightly.

Clark felt his heart constrict with pain. He hadn't thought about that. "No. I didn't realize that. I didn't think about anything."

"I mean, it was a luck of the draw as it was. The odds of it ever happening again are slim to none."

He closed his eyes briefly before meeting his daughter's gaze once again. "I know. I'm so sorry, Lucy." He took a step towards her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "I truly am. But I'm so happy for you. And I love you so much... I just want you to know that. I don't want to fight with you. This is a happy occasion. Please forgive me."

Lucy looked into her father's eyes searchingly. He was genuinely concerned... and deep down, Lucy knew he hadn't meant it. Still, it had hurt her that he had gone ahead and done that, but... "I forgive you."

Suddenly his arms were enveloping her, and she buried her face against his chest, letting some of her tears dissipate. Clark planted a soft kiss on his daughter's hair, and rubbed her back. "I'm so happy for you two."

She smiled up at her father and wiped her tears. "Thanks." Together, they walked back into the other room to enjoy their family dinner.

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><p><strong>Review, please!<strong>


	10. Mothers Be Good To Your Daughters

**A/N:** What? An update? Yep. I apologize in advance for the lack of updates and the possible cliffhangers to come.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. And also, I'm sorry. You don't know what I mean yet, but you will. I'll try to update soon enough.

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><p>Lucy didn't know what to do. She found herself in an interesting predicament and there was no way in hell she was going to talk to her father about it- after all, she pretty much knew what his opinion on the matter would be. And she wasn't sure she was ready for that yet.<p>

"Dammit!" She shouted when she tried to fix it again and couldn't manage to get the zipper over her midsection. This was getting ridiculous. She hadn't even put on that much weight yet, wasn't even into her second trimester yet- though she soon would be- and she was having trouble fitting into her suit.

She groaned loudly. "Mom!"

Lois was in the room instantly, apparently just waiting for her daughter to break down and call for her. "You called?" She smiled sarcastically.

"Oh, quit pretending to be so innocent and help me already!"

Lois grinned at her daughter and stepped in front of her to reach the zipper, working it up and down in order to try and free it from wherever it was caught.

"I thought Spandex was supposed to stretch," Lucy huffed.

Her mom chuckled. "I think it just needs some time to... readjust."

"You know, some women don't even start showing until their fifth month," Lucy complained pointedly.

"Oh, honey, you're not really showing yet. You're just starting to put on a little baby weight, that's all."

"Baby weight? Mom, I can't afford to put on any more baby weight for much longer. People are going to start noticing."

Lois considered her response carefully before finally speaking. "Well, you're not wrong about that."

Lucy pulled away from her mother, who simply looked up at her expectantly. "Wow. You agree with them, don't you?"

Again, Lois feigned ignorance. "Agree with whom on what, darling?"

Lucy groaned and sunk onto the bed behind her in defeat. "Dad. Chris. Everyone." She buried her face in her hands and sighed.

Lois stood up slowly, joints cracking in protest and went to take a seat next to her daughter. She opened her mouth to speak, searching for more right words. "I don't not agree with them, let's say."

Lucy's eyes started to fill with tears. "Am I a horrible person? I mean, I should be taking it easy, I know, and it's not that I don't want to, believe me-"

"Lucy, no!" Lois turned and wrapped her arms comfortingly around her daughter. She let her simply cry herself out and made comforting shushing noises, rubbing her back in a soothing motion. "You are absolutely not a horrible person. You're just a little nervous to give anything up yet. And that's perfectly natural. I remember when I was pregnant with Jason, Perry had to threaten to fire me before I finally took a step back and stuck to desk work. And I was much farther along than you are now."

"I mean, it's not that I don't want to scale it back, do a little bit less. I do. I just haven't figured out how to do that just yet. How can I scale back on being UltraWoman? I feel like I've just started."

"I know honey," Lois soothed, keeping up the steady rubbing motion on her daughter's back. "But your dad has handled his super activities on his own for a long time now. He can handle it himself."

"_Dad_ thinks it would be good to tell everyone I'm pregnant. Again with the whole "honesty" bit. But I don't think that'd be a good idea."

"And what does Chris think?"

"Chris just wants me to stop as soon as possible. He's understandably very nervous about everything."

Lois nodded, ideas swirling through her head. "I agree on that point. I'm having difficulty seeing what your father's idea would accomplish-"

"Right? He's nuts."

"-But you are going to have to make a decision fast. Because you never know when someone says just one ill placed comment, and suddenly it might not be your decision to make."

Lucy sighed. She knew her mother was right. A lot of the time. "I'm glad we have at least one sane person in this family."

Lois grinned and tucked a strand of Lucy's dark hair behind her ears. "It's a big job, but somebody's gotta do it."

Lucy shifted and looked at her hands. Her mother furrowed her brow at her. Surely she would crack a smile, just a small one, at that. Instead of pressuring her to say something though, she waited.

"I'm scared, Mom."

And then it clicked. Lois had made the mistake of assuming, given how desperately Lucy had wanted to become a mother, that she was fully prepared for everything that came with that path of action. But in actuality, she was just as frightened as Lois had been when she'd found out she was going to have Jason. Lois shivered slightly at the memory- finding out she was pregnant, unsure of how she became such, thinking terrible thoughts about how much easier her life would be without a child in it and eventually turning into the arms of the first man she found. Which wasn't exactly fair- Richard had been a great father to Jason for five years, and even to this day kept contact with her fully grown son, despite their rough patch in the middle. And she had loved him once. She couldn't deny that. She hadn't handled things well back then, when they'd split, and neither had he, but they had all reached a point eventually where their families could respect and care about each other.

Lucy didn't have any of those stresses to worry about. Well, she had one big thing that Lois didn't really. UltraWoman. Lois had never had to deal with having an alterego. Though many a time she'd had to deal with Clark's.

"Why?" Lois finally asked, dragging her thoughts back to her daughter's statement.

"Because! I don't what I'm getting myself into!"

"No new mother does. You should have seen the wreck I was with Jason."

"It's different."

"How? I'm here to help you, you have Chris and your father and a whole network of people who love and appreciate you. And who will love and appreciate this baby. When I was pregnant with Jason, I didn't have any of that."

"It's not about you. How could I possibly-! You and even Maisie can't understand!"

Lois frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm the first Kryptonian- or half Kryptonian or whatever! - woman in our family to have a child. Do you know how frightening that is? I mean, what if pregnancy hormones mess with my powers or something? What if I'm exposed to Kryptonite, even briefly, and it has a major impact on me or my baby? What if... what if something goes wrong during the pregnancy and the doctor's can't do anything about it because I'm invulnerable? What if the baby's invulnerable and... I don't know! That's the frustrating part! I have no idea what to expect and I'm risking everything no matter what I do and I'm just... stuck."

Tears were flowing down her daughter's face by the end of her speech, and Lois felt her own rolling down her cheeks as well. She brushed it away gently and looked her daughter in the eye. "Hey, I know this is scary. I know there's a lot of risk factors involved. You can't let that get you down."

Lucy nodded absently. "It's just so scary. I never thought about all of that responsibility before. I just wanted to have a child of my own. And maybe absolutely nothing will go wrong and I'm just being paranoid. But what if all of the adoption agencies were right, and our lives just won't fit with a child in them?"

Lois turned her daughter's words over in her mind, wanting to just tell her everything would be okay and yet knowing to a certain extent that there were legitimate concerns to be addressed. "Well," she began hesitantly, "I'm not going to say that having and raising children is easy- particularly Kryptonian ones. And you can't imagine how it's possible now maybe, but it will change your life." She paused to make sure she had her daughter's full attention. "But, I know you. You're Superman's daughter. You're UltraWoman. And you've got Lane and Kent blood in you- do you know how resilient and stubborn these two families are?" Lucy cracked a small smile at that. Lois became serious again. "You can accomplish anything, Luce. I know it."

Lucy wrung her hands nervously still. "Okay, so even if that's true, how do you know nothing else is going to go wrong? I mean, maybe there's a reason why I wasn't able to have kids before-"

"Lucy, no. That's not true, otherwise you wouldn't be pregnant now, would you?"

Lucy looked to the bedspread in shame. "I guess."

Lois lifted her daughter's chin to look her directly in the face. "Hey, we're just going to take it one day at a time and do what we can. That's all we can do, right?"

Lucy nodded. "Right."

"And I promise you, sweetie. I'll be with you absolutely every step of the way. And of course you'll always have Chris, and your father, but make no mistake. I do understand what it's like. I'm always gonna be here for you."

Lucy's eyes filled with tears once again. Like a child, she threw her arms around her mother and hugged her tight. "I love you, Mom."

Lois felt her heart swell as it always did when either of her children said those four simple words. If only she could transmit that feeling to Lucy right now, let her know just how fulfilling and how worth it everything was in the end when it came to children. All of the heartache, the pain, the arguments and the drama- Lois Lane-Kent wouldn't trade a moment of it if it meant that there was even a slight chance this outcome would be any different.

But she couldn't explain that feeling just yet. Not until Lucy had a child of her own.

So, instead, she settled with her usual response. She kissed the top of Lucy's head, held her and whispered in her ear.

"I love you too, baby. Always and forever."


	11. You're Gonna Miss Me

**A/N:** So. The reason why I've been so slow going at updating this story (besides other ideas and RL getting in the way) is because I knew exactly where to take it. I've had some pieces written up for what seems like forever. But I wanted to try another direction... only to find the one I was going in to be the only possible outcome in my mind. So, I'm going to just go with it and let the pieces fall where they may. If you don't like it... then tough luck. :P Seriously, though, please let me know how you like it as I go along. I promise also to come back and update some of my other stories soon(-ish?).

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. I am not getting paid for this (despite the fact that Amazon is now opening up some fanfictions into the realm of paid writing! which is simultaneously exciting and distressing- I know I'm not gonna pay for something that I could get for free and even if some of it is fantastically good I don't want it to destroy the sense of community we have here). Also, I am currently missing the top of the key for the letter "r" right now, so if you see any words that should have an "r" in them but don't (like if Clark looks more like Clak)... Yeah. That's on me. Let me know!

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><p>So far, everything had been fine. Lucy was now seven months pregnant and hadn't shown up as UltraWoman for the last three of them. There had been whispers, of course, people slowly beginning to wonder what had happened to her. Superman had remained staunchly oblivious to that fact, though Clark recognized it immediately. He knew a time would come when he'd have to start explaining her absences and excusing her from public events.<p>

He just hadn't expected it to start like this.

The wreckage was extensive. He hadn't had any time for prevention- there had been no warning, threat or even hint of the matter. Just that one moment, there was a building, and the next moment, there was not.

Clark sighed. He hated bombs. It was so up in the air. It was an office space, judging be the amount of half burnt papers and pieces of desks there were littering the ground and air. Luckily, it was a Sunday, which meant that not many people had been in the office at the time. Clark cringed to think of what the damage might have been if it had been a work day. Already, it was stark.

The fact that it was a weekend meant the killer was either extremely nervous or very smart. No one would be inside, on the one hand, and therefore he could make a point without causing too much damage. On the other hand, though, it also meant no one would be around to catch him. And the police would be looking for a different M.O.

Clark prayed it was a case of the former.

But of course, when things that are big deals like this happen, people were expecting more than just Superman's help. And that's when the questions started.

"Superman! Superman! Where's your daughter?"

"Have you seen UltraWoman lately?"

"Yeah, she hasn't been around recently, has she? What's going on?"

It would quickly spiral out of control, he knew.

They had their story all worked out. He hoped it worked. "UltraWoman is on the mend. She's been pretty upset that she hasn't been able to help lately, but we expect her to make a full recovery."

There was a brief silence among the audience before a cacophony of sound erupted, as Clark expected would happen. Voices and shouts swirled as they bombarded him, drowning out the sounds of the city surrounding him. He could go help at that car crash he'd heard in the distance, or that kid with the cat stuck in the tree, or any of the various going ons of the large city. But he knew he had to address this first. Already the clamoring was getting out of control.

"Wait- what?"

"Superman, what happened?"

"The news never reported anything about her being hurt-"

"Please, everyone," Clark cut in with his best Superman voice. "I apologize, I probably shouldn't have said anything. My daughter's probably going to be upset that I said something, but I figure there's not much harm at this point."

"Superman, what happened?" Gil from the Planet called out again.

Clark nodded to him, wondering slightly what was holding Lois up. She was supposed to be there, asking some crucial and misdirecting questions... Perhaps she was stuck in traffic. "UltraWoman was subjected to some rather intensive Kryptonite poisoning. She only recently was found and-"

"Found? You mean someone took her?"

"Yes," Superman shifted uncomfortably, giving the appearance of nervousness about revealing so much.

"Did you catch the person who did it?"

"Not yet," he spoke cautiously. This was starting to drift into murkier waters. Where was Lois?

"How is UltraWoman doing?"

A look of mild relief crossed the hero's face at the simplicity of the question. "Like I said, she's recovering. Slowly but surely. It'll be a while yet before she'll be back out saving the world."

"Is she staying home with her mother?"

Clark felt his jaw muscle twitch. Somehow they always brought it back around to this. The public was always desperate to know who Lucy's mother, and by extension, Superman's wife was. It got irritating, having to brush the question away constantly. He and Lucy had agreed to always treat the matter as if she weren't alive and it was difficult to talk about, and that was why they never responded to the questions. Clark cleared his throat before addressing the question. "Uh, no. No. UltraWoman is in one of the best places I know, though."

He knew that answer wouldn't be good enough for the public for long. He suddenly pretended to have heard something and gave a weak smile. "Duty calls." And in a flash, he left all of their questions behind and took to the skies.

* * *

><p>Clark landed atop the Daily Planet rooftop and was midway through changing his clothes when his cellphone rang. He picked it up wearing his slacks and his unbuttoned buttondown shirt. "Hello?"<p>

"Dad?"

Clark sighed, slowly buttoning his shirt as he spoke. "You saw what I said?"

"What? No. Wait, why? What did you say?"

Clark ignored her questions for now, figuring he'd deal with that later. "Uh, nothing. You'll hear about it soon enough. What's your thing first?"

"Um, okay," Lucy was a little confused, but other things were on her mind at the present. "Have you seen Mom? She said she'd take me to my appointment this morning because Chris had surgeries scheduled during most of the day, and it's two o'clock already and my appointment's supposed to start right now and she's still not here."

Clark frowned. That wasn't like Lois at all. "Where did you tell her to meet you?"

"At the apartment. I've tried texting and calling her and nothing. She said she'd be there for me," her voice trailed off into a concerned whine.

Clark suddenly felt his gut twist up. Something wasn't right about this. "Well, I just got back to the Planet. Maybe she's just working on a story and lost track of time. I'm heading down right now." He hurried down the stairwell as he slipped his glasses on.

"Dad, I called her desk at the Planet several times. She hasn't picked up. I'm getting worried."

"She's probably out chasing down a hot lead, then."

"Without her cell phone?"

"Maybe it died," he retorted. She had to stop talking like that. It was riling him up and making him tense. There were a number of reasonable explanations why his wife of thirty-two years wasn't answering her phone calls, or showing up to her appointments. It didn't mean anything. She'd done stuff like this a million times over. It was just an interesting story, or she was undercover, or maybe just dealing with something else.

Or maybe she was kidnapped.

That had happened many times, too. Not as often anymore, what with Luthor gone, but it wasn't so far-fetched. Lois had a nose for getting into trouble, and age had not done anything to tame that. Clark swallowed down his panic and forced himself to breathe a moment before replying to his daughter. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to snap at you, sweetie. You're just making me a little bit nervous."

"Sorry," her tone was genuine, and he knew she was just worried and nervous about her appointment. "Just let me know if you find her, okay? I'm going to call the doctor's office and reschedule my appointment."

"You sure? I could take you still," he paused right outside the doorway which would lead to the Planet's bullpen, triple checking to make sure he hadn't absent-mindedly forgotten to do something. He straightened his tie and ran his fingers through his hair to give it its usual, loose look.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Just tell Mom to plug in her cell phone next time, all right?"

"Will do."

"So what did you say that you seemed to think would worry me?"

Clark thought back to his impromptu interview, now feeling so long ago. "Nothing. You'll catch it on the news cycle later I'm sure. I gotta go."

"All right. Love you."

"Love you too," Clark repled absently into the phone as he pushed through the stairwell door and into the chaos of the Daily Planet. He scanned his surroundings of the office frantically.

No Lois.

Clark Kent started to panic.

_No, _he told himself. _You're being ridiculous. She's fine. She's fine._ He clamped down on his rising panic and tried to stay as calm as possible on his path from his desk to Jimmy Olsen's office.

The door was closed but Clark went in anyway. "Sorry to bother you Jim, but-"

"Uh, Kent, can it wait?"

Clark glanced over at the man sitting across from Jimmy. He looked serious, but nothing to stop Superman. "No, it can't wait, Jimmy. You seen Lois?"

"No, I haven't. She left at about one-thirty, saying something about heading out to take Lucy to her appointment."

"Lucy says she never showed up."

That got Jimmy's attention. He frowned, sending his guest an apologetic look before turning back to look at Clark. "Maybe she got distracted? Caught an interview or something?"

Clark shook his head firmly. "No. Ever since Lucy's been pregnant, she's been extra attentive and careful with her. There's no way she got distracted before her daughter's ultrasound."

"Did you try her cell?"

"Lucy says she hasn't picked up."

Jimmy nodded solemnly. "Why don't you go see if you can try to find Superman? Perhaps he'll know where to find her. I wouldn't put it past Lois to be kidnapped and hanging from the rooftop of some building."

Clark nodded and fidgetted with the collar of his shirt. "Thank you, sir. Sorry for interrupting." He nodded to the other man before quickly striding across the bullpen and into the waiting elevator.

The doors had barely closed before Clark took off.

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><p><strong>AN #2: **So, the "e" broke while I was typing this too, so I also apologize for any of those that are missing. It makes typing really slow, too. Sigh. I think I need to get a new computer. Oh wait, I'm broke. I guess I just have to figure out how to fix it. Please review!


	12. Gone, Gone, Gone

**A/N:** Sorry. This chapter directly follows the last one. I'm on my way to finishing this one up, still got several chapters to go, but I'm mostly trying to finish this one so I can move on to finishing the other ones. And you're going to hate me at several points throughout this story, then love me again (I hope) and hate and love and so on and so forth. But! At least I now have a definite plan of action. And that frees up some of my faculties for other stories. Or I guess homework, but... meh. I'd rather spend time with you all! ;) And again, sorry. You'll see later.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. You can thank me for that, otherwise I would be making these stories canon. And you would all be flipping out on me.

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><p>Chris washed his hands in the sink thoroughly, despite the fact that he had just washed them five minutes before. Something about being a doctor made him hyper-conscious of everything around him, and while Lucy occasionally poked fun at his slightly obsessive compulsive behaviors, he really couldn't deny the fact that he washed his hands a lot.<p>

A smile creased his lips as he thought of his wife. The woman carrying his child. As much as he had tried to reassure her that it didn't matter whether or not they had kids, now that they were having one Chris couldn't imagine living without. She was supposed to be at her ultrasound right about now. He regretted being unable to take her himself, but he was on call all day and he knew that it would be better to put the time in now than later, when he'd have to be by her side with the baby. Besides, he trusted Lois to handle it.

His pager buzzed. He looked down at the device and frowned- code blue. Quickly, he made his way back into the operating room amidst the shouting and chaos that was usually going on.

"What's the situation?" he shouted above the noise as the cart was wheeled in and doctors and nurses ran around.

"Female, mid-sixties, suffering from myocardial infarction, boys just brought her in from the wreck down on Fifth and Lex-"

"She was in the accident?"

"No, but she was right there when it happened-"

"Was anyone with her?"

"No, as far as we could tell she was alone, just walking down the side of the street-"

Chris finally moved in close enough to get a good look at the patient's face and assess the damage when he swore and backed away, reeling.

"Dr. Thomas, what is it?"

Chris couldn't pull his eyes away her face, so similar to his wife's, except older and significantly more pale. She was barely even breathing, really- it was a long shot when they brought her in-

"Call in Dr. Takemi, I don't think I can do this."

"What? Why?"

"That's my mother-in-law."

"What-?"

"Sir, Dr. Takemi isn't available right now, he's with a patient. We're trying to find somebody else to take over, but it might have to be you, Chris."

"You know Met Gen has an extremely strict policy on operating on family members-"

"Dr. Thomas!"

Chris' head was swimming. He fought to work his way through the thick wave of panic that was rising inside him to focus on the task at hand. He couldn't do it, he couldn't do it. He had to do it. But this was his mother-in-law. And, even scarier, this was Clark Kent's wife.

_Superman's_ wife.

Suddenly there was a long series of beeping noises and that snapped Chris back out of it. Shouts from the nurses and doctors swirled around him, saying things about her going back into cardiac arrest, her vitals dropping and such. He swore, ran his hands through his hair and got to work. "Somebody bring a crash cart in here!"

The chaos was swimming all around him. The cart, the heart monitor, the defibrilator paddles warming up, hands everywhere, tearing away his focus. Someone put the paddles in his hands and he found his body taking over, shouting "clear!" as he attempted to restart her heart to a normal pace. "Come on, Lois, stay with me," he murmured, attempting the paddles again.

Dr. Takemi finally raced into the room, shouting his name. "Chris! Chris!"

"Dr. Thomas-"

"You can't die on me, Lois, you hear? Clark will kill me, you know it!" Chris kept going, barely registering the fact that they were calling his name until he felt hands trying to pull him away from her body. He fought it for a while, but came to recognize that someone else needed to take over- he was far too emotionally involved for this sort of thing.

He was thrown out of the operating room with a strangled sob escaping his throat. He ran a hand through his hair and swore, trying to compose himself.

He had to call Lucy. And Clark.

Chris shuddered at the prospect.

He ran over to the nurse's station and took one of their phones. Dialing furiously, he punched in his wife's number before realizing what he was doing and hanging up on the first ring. He stared at the phone as if it had burned him, not caring or even realizing that he was garnishing a lot of attention from the other people on the floor. Chris weighed his decisions, finally deciding to call Clark first and see what that got him. He didn't want to upset his wife just yet, not until he knew what was going on fully- besides, if anyone needed to know, it was Clark.

He dialed the number.

It finally picked up on the sixth ring. "Daily Planet, Clark Kent's desk."

Chris groaned aloud. "Uh, yeah, sorry. Um, if you see Clark at all, would you mind letting him know I'm trying to get ahold of him?"

The intern's voice on the other end seemed confused. "Who is this?"

He gritted his teeth. "It's his son-in-law, Chris. Look, just, if you see him, have him page me at the hospital immediately, all right?"

"Will do, sir."

Chris hung up without so much as a thank you and tried dialing another number.

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><p>Clark was flying through the air slowly, scanning the ground beneath him for any sign of Lois when his cell started vibrating. Immediately he stopped and flew up higher into the sky where he could retrieve the device without being seen. He answered it on the fourth ring, getting it just before it went to voice mail. "Hello?"<p>

"Uh, hey Clark, it's Chris."

Clark breathed a sigh of relief. Not recognizing the number, Clark had been extremely paranoid that it was going to be something a little more ominous, more threatening- a ransom call, perhaps. You never knew with Lois. His son-in-law's voice was a welcome relief.

"Hey, Chris, how are you. In case you're wondering, Lucy didn't make it to her appointment today."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I figured."

There was a long awkward silence, one that had Clark's gut twisting in sudden nervousness. "Chris? Is everything okay? Why aren't you talking?"

His son-in-law didn't respond for a while more. Finally, he breathed into the phone quietly. "You need to get down here, Clark."

That sinking feeling was back full force, and Clark gripped his phone tighter. He felt his heart speed up dangerously and tried to get a handle of the spinning feeling in his head.

"Clark? Are you still there?"

Clark felt as though his throat was closing up. Suddenly he knew. He didn't know how or what or why, but in his gut he knew. "Lois?" he asked hoarsely, unable to produce any other sounds.

Chris was silent for a while at the other end of the line. "Clark-"

He knew. He was right. Oh, god, he was going to be sick.

"Clark, you need to listen to me. I tried to help but they kicked me out of the OR, and I'm not sure what to do and I'm not sure what they can do. If you can, I'd get down here as fast as you can."

He had barely hung up the phone when Clark found himself standing in front of Metropolis General Hospital, somehow back in his civilian wear.

He walked in the doors, completely numb to the world around him, striding forward through all of the memories of the building. This was where he came after he almost died. This was where Lucy was born. This was where he had taken many, many lucky survivors and just as many unlucky ones. And now he was here for Lois.

His Lois.

A pain stabbed at his heart and almost winded him for a moment. He didn't know what this meant- hell, he didn't even know what she was doing there yet. His pulse pounded in his ears, drowning out any other sounds as he approached the desk. "Hi, do you know where I can find Dr. Chris Thomas?"

"Um, no. Let me find out for you, all right?" The nurse turned and put a few keystrokes into her computer. "It appears that he's on call all day today. Perhaps you'd like to meet with another doctor?"

"No, you don't understand. He's my son-in-law. I need to know which floor he's on, _now_."

The young nurse saw the frantic look in his eyes and understood there was something else going on. "I can page him to come and get you, if you want," she offered meekly. "Unfortunately, we usually don't just let family members wander through the OR unattended. Now, if you could tell me who you're coming to visit, I could look it up and find out-"

"Please," Clark begged, his eyes on the verge of teas. "Please, just tell me where to find him. He just called me, I swear."

The nurse finally took some pity on him. "He should be on the third floor. Take the stairs."

"Thank you so much," Clark released on a breath as he hurried past her and through the stairwell. He could do stairs. He could do stairs floors at a time if need be.

He was on third floor in moments, pushing his way blindly past nurses and doctors, heading for the nurse's station. Chris caught sight of him and raced to meet him, arms outstretched as though to keep him back. "Clark-"

"Where is she?" he growled, searching blindly past his son-in-law for any glimpse, any sight of her he might catch.

"Clark, you need to calm down first-"

"What happened to her?"

Chris swallowed. Perhaps he should have called Lucy first. He had thought that Clark needed to know, and he was Superman- surely he'd be a bit more levelheaded than this.

Wrong. Apparently, level-headedness did not apply where Lois Lane was concerned.

"I don't know all the details. I just know that she was down at that accident on Fifth and-"

Instantly, Clark's pallor became ghostly white, terror coming over him. She was in the accident? The one he had heard? Suddenly he wanted to vomit. He could have been there. He _should _have been there. But he wasn't and now something terrible had happened and as hard as he was straining his ears he couldn't make out her heartbeat in all of the chaos going on. "Is... Is she injured?"

"No. She wasn't _in_ the accident, but I guess she was walking down the street when it happened. Clark, she had a heart attack."

Clark was frozen in shock. Somehow he made his way over towards the wall and braced himself against it, head reeling. "She... she had a heart attack," he repeated.

Chris nodded woefully. "She started to experience another one when they threw me out of the operating room. That's as much as I know, I swear."

Clark's world was spinning and he was going to get sick if he did not do something soon. He slumped to his knees on the floor, distantly hearing Chris' voice calling his name repeatedly. He managed to look up into his son-in-law's eyes, and Chris noticed how panicked and frightened those blue eyes looked, even behind the frames of his glasses.

Suddenly an alarm went off in one of the rooms and it accosted Clark's ears. He listened intently to the noises and shouts, doctors shouting words like ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation, but none of those words had any meaning to his untrained ear.

Chris might know, and for a moment Clark considered asking, but he had a feeling that maybe he didn't want to know, especially if this was Lois they were talking about.

And his gut was telling him this was Lois. It sounded like- felt like- her heartbeat, racing out of control only to slow down dangerously. His entire being felt like it was reaching out to her, willing her to come back to him. Willing her heart to start beating again.

After what felt like an eternity of people trying to restart her heart, using CPR, using any means possible, but in reality was probably only a minute or two, Clark heard the words he'd vainly hoped he would never have to hear.

_"Call it. Time of Death, 2:19 pm, June 3rd, 2040."_

And Clark Kent broke.

He crumpled and started crying. Chris just looked at him, unsure of what to do, knowing he must have heard something, and by the looks of things, it clearly wasn't good news. Carefully, he helped his father-in-law into a chair, surprised by how compliant he was being. Chris was about to turn back and find out what happened in there when a nurse called out his name. He turned and saw her waving the desk phone at him.

"Your wife is on the line. She's wondering why you called and hung up."

Chris felt a stab of pain accompanied with panic. He gave one last look at the man of steel, broken, crying quietly, and realized that the man couldn't handle it, not anymore. It was Chris' responsibility now. He gave a long sigh, silently begging for the strength he needed to tell his wife that her mother just died. Then he'd have to call Jason, explain everything, make sure he went to check on Lucy before she did something stupid like fly over to the hospital. It was a big job, harder than it was normally delivering bad news to patient's families. So often, he could just put on that mask for the public, distance himself, be polite but curt, nice but serious. He didn't know how to do that for his own family.

But he had to. It was his burden to bear.

He had to be strong enough for Superman today.


	13. Hurt

**A/N: **Really, I am sorry. It kind of had to be done. Your characters can never be too happy. (For every laugh, you need a tear.) So the last few/next few chapters are kind of going to be sad, too. But I mean, you're dealing with a story on the big events in the life of Superman's daughter. Lois can't live forever, and her death is definitely a big event, so... Don't worry. Again, for every tear, there's a laugh, so you can expect some happy stuff to come still. Just not in the too-near future. Let me know if you're too sad, or mad at me, or enjoy this all so far, or if there are any spelling/grammar errors, or anything else you'd like to see come up. ;) So basically the usual.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Again, you don't really want me owning anything, especially at this point.

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><p>Clark knocked on the door, looking every bit as dreary and solemn as his plain, loose, dark charcoal suit. The one Lois made him promise to wear because he looked so strange if he wore black in public, so sexy if he wore it at home. Or so she always said, anyway. She liked him best in primary colors, she said. And he would always roll his eyes, nudge her arm, walk away, occasionally share a kiss or two, depending on the mood. A pang of sadness stabbed at his heart, rendering him immobile once again. He couldn't do this. He couldn't even move, couldn't breathe- how could he be expected to do this?<p>

The door swung open much too soon for his liking, he was still too unprepared to face them. He was confronted with his son-in-law's tight lipped smile- more of a grimace- and finally found it in him to shuffle forward through the doorway so as to not let all of the hot air inside. He cleared his throat before finally croaking out some words. "You... you guys about ready?"

Chris started to nod, then paused for a minute as though reconsidering, before nodding again. "Yeah. Yeah, I think so."

"I'm not going!" his daughter's voice rang out from the back bedroom, and it was obvious that this had been a fight already before Clark had even gotten there.

Chris turned to his father-in-law with tired, desperate eyes. He knew what the young man was thinking, and wasn't sure he could handle it.

"Please, Clark. I've tried to talk to her and she just won't listen to me. She wants to go, she does, but she's just in a panic right now. I can't get her to see sense."

Clark sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose under his glasses. "Fine. I'll try."

Chris mouthed a thank you as Clark turned and walked back into the bedroom.

Clark Kent walked into his daughter's room, unsure of what was happening or why she was refusing to leave. All he knew was that when he saw his little girl- hugging her knees like that, rocking herself back and forrth against the headboard as best she could with her pregnant belly in the way- his heart broke for what felt like the millionth time this week.

He didn't think it could get any more broken.

"Lucy," Clark spoke, his voice choked with emotion.

Her blue eyes snapped up to face her father's. She looked so much like Lois did, it was a miracle that people didn't recognize her immediately in the UltraWoman suit, mask and all. Excepting the eyes. Those were his. Clark struggled with an overwhelming sense of both pride and immense sadness at the thought. Sadness at the memory of his wife now gone, pride at the knowledge that he had lent a hand in creating something so wonderful with Lois- someone so like Lois- and his part in the matter showed. Her expression transformed into a traditional Mad Dog Lane scowl and she crossed her arms in a Superman fashion. "I'm not going."

Clark sighed and sat on the bottom of her bed. "Lucy-"

"NO! You can't make me go! I won't do it! I _hate_ her!" She sprung up off the bed in a fit of sudden rage.

Clark was shocked at his daughter's outburst. "Lucy Martha Kent, you do _not_ speak about anyone that way- _especially_ your mother!"

"Why?! Is she here? Can she hear me still? No! She's gone, Dad! Get your head out of the clouds and quit pretending!"

Now Clark was angry. He stood up and crossed his arms over his chest in like manner. "You think I'm pretending? You think I'm not having trouble with this? Well, newsflash, you're wrong!"

"I'm not saying that you're not upset, but at the very least you don't have to be so damn put together all the time! What's the matter with you?"

"Me? What's the matter with you? You weren't like this before. What's changed?"

"What's changed?! My mother is dead, that's what's changed!"

Clark felt the bottom fall out of his stomach as he heard his daughter's words, and suddenly knew this argument wasn't just about not wanting to attend her mother's funeral. He slowly stood up and reached out his arms, wrapping her in an embrace from behind.

Lucy whirled on him, breaking free of his arms and pushing him off. "No! I hate her! I do! She lied to me!" She started pouding her fists against his chest. "She lied! She said that she'd be there for me, forever, for everything! For this baby!"

Her anger turned to tears as she hurled one last balled fist against him and finally crumbled in her father's strong arms. He wrapped them around her, holding his baby girl tight against his chest. Clark's heart constricted with pain. He couldn't fix this for her, couldn't save her from this pain. Right now, he felt anything but Super.

He rubbed soft circles on her back and made quiet shushing noises, trying to soothe her. "It's okay, sweetheart, sh-shhh-shhh. It'll all be okay."

"It's not okay, Daddy," she mumbled between body-wracking sobs.

"I know," he conceded, tears slipping down his own face, trying his best to hold it together for his baby girl. "I know it's not okay, but I don't know what else to tell you, sweetie. She lied to me too."

Lucy pulled away slightly, looking up at her father's face with a slight frown. "What do you mean?"

Clark stepped back and plopped down onto her bed, tears flowing freely now. "I always knew she would most likely... you know, go first. Between her dangerous streak and my practical immortality... We'd talked about it before. Fought a lot about it, too."

Lucy sank down onto the bed next to her father, listening to him open up. He'd never discussed any of this before, it was all new information to her, excepting his odds of living. She was well aware that his Kryptonian DNA, as well as hers and Jason's, meant that they'd be living longer than the average human- though how much longer, they didn't yet know.

"I'd made the mistake of telling her once that if I ever lost her I'd follow her in death. She flipped out on me. That was probably the... the third worst fight we'd ever had. I actually had to go live with your Grandma Martha for a week and fly in for work every day- your mom told me that if I started talking like that, then I'd sure as hell lose her sooner than that."

That made Lucy smile- it was just like her mother to say that. "When was this?" Her voice was quiet, as though she were afraid to break the narrative, but she was curious and the story was calming her down enough to finally dry her tears in her tracks.

Clark thought about it a moment before replying, a small smile on his face. "Oh, you were probably four or so. After another down to the wire rescue, and I got paranoid and your mother as usual just took it in stride and bounced right back immediately. She was really remarkable that way." His face fell suddenly and it looked as though he were in physical pain.

"We worked things out, obviously. Neither of us could last too long without the other." There was another stab of pain at his chest, but he braved onward. "So we made a list of promises to each other, signed, dated- knowing your mother, she probably even had it notarized. We talked extensively about what we would do in the scenario where either of us dies, made some rules about what we wanted."

"She made one for you too?" Lucy asked.

"Even though I knew it was unlikely, yeah. There was always the chance that I'd be taken out by some Kryptonite or other crazed psychopath- although it was equally as likely that the same psychopath would get to Lois first. But yeah, we each laid down the law about what could and couldn't happen. Every few years or so we would update it, so we'd have something current for each other and for you kids."

"Like what?" Lucy's voice cracked, suddenly realizing that there might be something else here that he was building to. She sat next to him on the bed and curled in close against his body, like a child being cradled in his arms.

Clark sighed and ran his hand through his dark, slightly greying hair. "Some of it was silly. Like she demanded I not wear black to her funeral, only grey. Like so," he gestured to the suit he was wearing and gave her a small smirk. "Other things were important though. Like that I wouldn't ever consider death just because she was gone and I couldn't quit being Superman- she was adament about that, too. According to the papers, I get a three-week mourning period barring any major catastrophes before I have to at least make an appearance as Superman."

Lucy chuckled softly. "That sounds like Mom."

Clark attempted another smile but it came out more as a grimace. "I... I made her promise to let me know immediately if something were wrong. I mean, odds were she'd go out with a gun to her head- that's what she always argued, anyways- but I made her promise that at the first signs of trouble or difficulty, she would alert me."

"She didn't know, though," Lucy cut in, knowing where this was headed. "She would have told you if she knew something like this were going to happen."

Clark was shaking his head. "No. Uh, no, she had an idea. I noticed it, about a week or so before she... just, before. She mentioned having a hard time keeping up, and I noticed her heart speeding up in an odd rhythm, and she just brushed me off- said it was nothing, she was just out of breath, had a scare, whatever. I was concerned, naturally, but she was adament and her heart rate went back down to normal so I didn't think anything of it. I should have known, though. That's how an episode starts. And I mean, I knew she wasn't crazy healthy- she went vegetarian for a while, but she did smoke off and on for at least a decade, and-"

"Dad, no. Don't do this to yourself." Lucy gripped his arm tightly, recognizing he was about to start spiralling out of control soon if she didn't stop him. "There's no way you could have seen this coming. Even if you had taken her to the hospital then and there, there wouldn't have been anything you could have done. Just like there wouldn't have been anything you could've done if you or I were with her when it actually happened. She got as much help as she could and it still wasn't enough. There's nothing any of us could have done."

"I know that, objectively, of course. But I can't help but feel that if only I had been there, or done something-"

"And what? You know Mom, she would taken some Kyptonite to you herself if you had doted on her constantly. That's who she was. And yeah, you know what? That sucks. Because if she hadn't brushed you off or we were around her there's a slight chance that things would have gone differently- but that's a very slight chance! And think of how she'd be living! She wouldn't be the Lois Lane you fell in love with if she were a laid up invalid."

Clark smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I know, sweetheart. It just hurts, you know? To think she might have known and was lying to me." He wiped a tear from his face and sniffed. "You're so much like her, you know?"

Lucy bit her lip in an attempt to keep more tears at bay. Her mother was such a huge part of her life. She had been there for her all along, she had helped her- heck, they had even worked together in more recent years. And she had promised to be there for her, for the birth of her first child. It was a such a betrayal that she couldn't be there anymore, that she had been taken away from her so soon and there was absolutely no one she could blame for it.

It hurt.

She felt her father shaking beside her and turned to look up at his face, tears streaming down it and contorted with pain and anguish. "I-I don't know how to live without her, Luce."

Lucy's heart broke at that.

She didn't know what to do. Her dad wasn't just Superman to her, he was _her_ Superman. _Her_ hero. It was hard to see him like this, so broken and defeated, lost without his Lois. And still he was trying to be so strong, take resposibility for everything. And as much as he could say that they'd prepared, that they had talked about the possibility of death and even went so far as made plans for it, it was abundantly clear.

Clark Kent never expected Lois Lane to die.

Lucy cried with him, held him, told him the same meaningless words and made the same, calming, shushing noises that he had done for her, knowing that was all she could do. And then, when they'd each calmed enough, they'd have a new battle to face, that of Lois' funeral.

Lucy didn't notice her father slip a manilla envelope onto her nightstand as they made their way out of her room.


	14. Needle in the Hay

**A/N:** Still sorry... and yet not sorry. I enjoy myself too much to be that repentant. By now you've figured out that Lois isn't coming back, so yeah. I promise things will get better in the next chapter or so. I am sorry that the update's been a bit delayed, though. School's been more than chaotic as I'm hoping to graduate soon and trying to organize my schedules so that it's possible within the next semester... so we shall see when you get another one of these. I don't want to leave you hanging for too long, so I'm sure you'll get something soon. :)

Also, as a side point, there are a few things in this chapter that reference this story's predecessor, "Just Three Simple Words," but it's not necessary to have read that in order to make sense of this (or so I hope). Just thought I'd throw it out there in case anyone who recognized it was wondering. :)

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. You're welcome. Oh, and a very brief nod to Lois and Clark:TNAOS. For one line of dialogue.

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><p>It was hot outside, blistering. Lois would have hated it. She loved the hot weather, sure, but she'd always said she liked it to rain on a funeral. It was like the skies were crying for the dead.<p>

No such luck today, it seemed.

Clark sighed heavily, trying to keep himself from breaking down just yet. He didn't know how to handle today. They had talked about Superman making an appearance or speech of some kind at her funeral, and he knew that many people would expect it, but there was no way on Earth he could handle that right now. He briefly toyed with the idea of just coming by later with a rose to set down on her grave while in the suit, but he didn't know how to put it on without thinking of her and being paralyzed with pain and sadness. He didn't even know how he could as Clark do anything without her.

Especially give a speech.

He had to do that, though. He promised her, as she had him, that he would at least pull himself together enough to say a few words. He'd even had it written out ahead of time. No muss, no fuss. Just reading from the page.

And yet his heart clenched and he seized up with fear as the thought of reading her eulegy passed through his mind.

Lucy kept on nudging him forward, kept him moving. It was enough of a fight to keep the bile down, let alone walk- let alone speak. He hadn't even said two words since they'd left Chris and Lucy's apartment.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how horrible of an idea it was for him to go up there in front of everyone.

Clark cleared his throat. "Maybe it's for the best if-"

Lucy's fingernails dug into his arm, stopping him short. "Dad," she whispered under her breath, "you're going to go up there, and you're going to read your wife's eulegy. You already got out of Superman for the day, you can handle this. Otherwise I might just have to drag you up there myself and I'm sure the whole world would appreciate a super demonstration."

Clark swallowed as he glanced at his daughter's features. She kept her eyes straight ahead, but he could tell from her determined expression- one she had inheritted from Lois Lane herself- that she was not giving in. He sighed and nodded his head subtley in response to her.

Before he knew it, there they were, standing in the funeral procession, then taking their seats in the rows set up at the grave site. It all went by so quickly, and yet not quickly enough. Suddenly his name must have been called, because Lucy was nudging him slightly with her elbow, less forceful this time. He could see clearly how affected she was, and knew that he had to be brave, he had to do this for them, his family. For Lois.

He dragged himself out of his chair, coming around to the front of the seats, never feeling so defeated in his entire life. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound would come out. Clark closed it, clearing his throat, then shuffled through his jacket pockets until he found the papers he was looking for. Clearing his throat once more, he tried to begin reading. "Lois Joanne Lane..." a pain stabbed at his heart as the weight of it all suddenly struck him, sat on his chest, making it difficult to breathe, to stand. He wet his lips, trying once more, "Lois Lane-Kent..." he trailed off, tears streaming down his face.

He broke down.

Clark slumped to his knees before her coffin, bringing shaking fingers up to rest against the wood reverently. "Lois," he croaked. He didn't understand. He didn't understand so much of it. Why she had to die, why he couldn't have been there, why he had to be here now. His tears burned as they ran down his face, dripping off of his glasses. He wished for it all to end, prayed that it was all just some horrible nightmare gone wrong. Lucy's earlier outburst rose to his mind, and he couldn't help agreeing with her on one point- he hated Lois a little bit for this. He hated that she died, that she was making him do this, making him keep living. He hated her for being human, for being so vulnerable.

He recoiled from that thought immediately. He couldn't possibly hate her for that. He loved her for it- her humanity, her sense of justice, her weaknesses. She was stronger than he was, in many instances- even though she'd come away from assignments roughed up and looking more beat up than he would, she'd be back at it instantly. Clark had loved that about her. He loved every part of her being. So much that it physically pained him. To think, that he could never have her back- it made him want to vomit, to curl up in a dark corner and just wait for his own death to come so he wouldn't have to hurt anymore.

A hand reached down and rested gently yet firmly on his shoulder, prompting him to look up into the sunlight to squint at the colorful figure through blurred eyes. Superman smiled tautly down at him. Clark's first reaction was one of shock and confusion, before he suddenly recognized his son's face.

A few murmurings arose from the crowd of grievers, surprised and yet not to see Superman there at Lois Lane's funeral. For all of the rumors, all of the jokes about "I spent the night with Superman" and what have you, it was expected that he might show up. Regardless of what their personal relationship was or wasn't, everyone knew that they had a friendship, to say the least. She was the first reporter to interview him, she was his first rescue, and they had been seen together innumerable times since then. It would be unthinkable that the Man of Steel wouldn't be making an appearance, at least as a friend. But at the same time, since everyone knew of Lois and Clark's love for each other, it was equally reasonable to think that Superman might keep his distance, out of respect for their relationship and not wanting to cause a stir or bring up questions at such a difficult time.

Clark had briefly considered showing up to Lois' funeral as Superman, just for a minute or two and then leaving, but quickly disregarded that notion. He could barely hold himself together as it was- there was no way he'd be able to do so as Superman and keep up appearances. He hadn't even considered asking Jason to do it, but he was glad now that he did.

Those few in the know hadn't expected an appearance from Superman at all, and were briefly confused, as Clark was, before realizing what was going on and accepting it.

Jason, or rather Superman, turned briefly and set a single red rose on his mother's coffin, trying to remain as unaffected as possible. When he turned back to his father, he stretched out a hand. Clark glanced at it, briefly wiping his face on his sleeve before taking it, the experience surreal in itself.

Superman helped Clark to his feet, steadying him with a strong grip on his arm, and shared a meaningful look with him as he patted his father on the back. Clark grimaced back at him, thanking his son without words for his help, noticing all the more just how much his son looked like, well, himself. It was an uncanny experience, and at the back of Clark's mind he wondered if anyone would even notice if his son replaced him.

The papers in his hand drew his attention back downwards, and he shook the thought. Lois wouldn't have wanted him to think like that.

"You gonna be okay?" Jason murmured in a low tone so that nobody would hear, keeping a careful eye on his father. Their voices differed, and he didn't want it to carry and for people to ask questions, though he supposed he could simply brush it off as being full of emotion.

With a slight nod, Clark patted Superman's arm and turned away, back to the onlookers, keeping his eyes trained on the papers in his hands.

Superman stepped aside, standing alongside the rows of seats respectfully to watch the service.

"Sorry," Clark muttered to the crowd. He squinted at the papers in his hand, unable to read the letters scrawled across the page with his blurred vision. Clark cleared his throat as he folded them up and put them back into his breast pocket. "I-I don't really know how to do this. You know, Lois... Lois and I... we planned for this sort of stuff. We wrote each other's eulogies, probably close to twenty-five, thirty years ago now. We edited over the years, of course, but that's just the kind of person Lois is. She's always prepared, running into danger headlong, without a care in the world." He suddenly realized his tense and swallowed thickly, blinking back tears again. "Was, I mean." Clark gave a taut smile to the crowd. "But there's only so much preparing you can do for the inevitable. There's no way I ever could have prepared enough for this moment."

Superman cocked his head to the side suddenly, gave Clark one last nod, and flew off quickly, disappearing from the audience's view. Jason knew he couldn't afford to hang around much longer- he'd either be a distraction or people would start to recognize him or wonder why the Man of Steel looked slightly different today. He stayed for a few minutes, but he made a quick escape as soon as he felt it was decent.

Clark was thankful to see Jason slip in behind the last row of seats a few moments after he had left, coming from the opposite direction to stand in the back. He breathed a sigh of relief- Clark had been so concerned that someone would figure it out, that they'd be caught. He couldn't have handled that, today of all days.

With a steadying breath, Clark spoke on. As he continued to speak, the easier the words came, until he simply ran out of the things he wanted to say. People were crying, smiling at the memories, listening with rapt attention as he rambled on for a few minutes, until finally he stumbled to a halt with his last few words.

"I miss her."

Clark grew silent as the thought began weighing him down once again. "I miss her already," he repeated in a whisper, voice roughened with pain and need. He grimaced. "I don't know how I'll go on without her. I don't know how the world will go on without Lois Lane in it," he confessed. "She was a superhero of her own right, especially to me. I've never known a more complicated, domineering, uncompromising, pig-headed, beautiful, brilliant woman in all my life. I'll always love her. To the day I die. Always have, always will."

Clark ran a hand over his face to brush away the tears. He had nothing left to say, so instead of struggling to wrap things up, he simply sat back down in his seat, burying his face in his hands and slumping over in his chair. He felt a hand on his arm and cast a brief glance in the direction to see his daughter smiling sadly at him, encouraging him. He couldn't even nod in response.

He was just glad that it was over.

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><p>The funeral progressed and the wake began. People swarmed around him quietly through the bar, expressing their condolences, saying how sorry they were- people Clark barely knew himself, let alone those that knew Lois. Friends, colleagues, contacts and sneaks. Then there were a few of the Leaguers, of course. Bruce showed up, as did Dick, separately, though neither stayed long, not wanting to attract any attention away from the somber mood of the gathering. Wally was there, though he hadn't known Lois all that well. Diana sent flowers, but couldn't make it herself.<p>

Clark didn't pay attention to any of it. He let the people come and go, interacting with them to the barest acceptable extent. Instead, he sat at the bar, nursing his one lone beer, staring into space vacantly.

"Hey," Lucy's voice washed over him and he glanced at her briefly just to acknowledge he'd heard her. "I'm proud of you. know it's been a difficult day for all of us, but I just wanted to remind you of that."

Clark grunted. "Thanks."

"I mean it, Dad."

He turned finally to look into her face and saw Lois staring back at him. So much of Lois, it was frightening. Except her eyes. Her kind, loving, understanding eyes that were a brighter shade of blue than normal even- from all of the crying, he assumed. Yes, he could focus on her eyes, and he would be okay.

Suddenly her eyes shifted focus to look behind him and she smiled genuinely. Finally curious, Clark turned around to find what she was looking at- and immediately froze.

The man who approached them looked quite different than he had last Clark had seen him, what with his gray hair and new wrinkles, but was still quite unmistakable, especially with those eyes. Clark felt a lump catch in his throat as the man finally reached them and placed a firm, warm hand on his shoulder.

"Hello, Clark."

Clark's mouth hung open in surprise, unsure of just what he was supposed to say. Lucy jumped in before he could find the right words.

"Uncle Richard!"

Richard turned to her with a smile and opened his arms wide for a hug- which she readily gave him. "Hey, Luce. My goodness, look at you!" He took a step back to examine her pregnant form. "Jason mentioned to me that you were pregnant but he didn't say you were this far along! You look about ready to pop!"

Lucy shuddered in jest. "Don't you even joke. I'm not due for about another six weeks. Although, what I wouldn't give to be able to get this thing out of me right now, especially in this heat!"

Richard White winced sympathetically. "Ouch. I remember Judy saying the same thing with Alan. She had him in the middle of July, you know."

"Yeah, well already, baby's getting impatient. And I'm starting to definitely notice the Braxton Hicks, too, which is just wonderful."

Richard smiled, but sobered a little bit. "You'd better keep a close eye on those things. Lois thought the same thing when she was carrying Jason, but it turns out she was going into early labor." At Lucy's wide eyes, he quickly backpedaled. "But I'm sure that's not what's going on here. You'd definitely know if it was the case. Any idea of if it's a boy or girl?"

Lucy ignored how blatantly he changed the subject and simply shook her head. "No, Chris and I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Where is that husband of yours, anyway?"

She shrugged. "Don't know. I'd better go find him, though. See you later, Uncle Richard."

She hugged him once more before sliding off her bar stool and making her way across the bar. With a sigh, Richard sank into the seat she'd just vacated next to Clark. Richard ordered a beer from the bartender and started sipping at it like Clark was.

They sat in silence for several long moments, each drinking and keeping to their own thoughts, until finally Richard couldn't take it anymore. He spoke quietly. "That was a really nice speech you gave, Clark."

Clark grimaced. "Thanks, I guess."

Silence again. Okay, so this conversation was going to be painfully one-sided, but at least Richard had a start. "You know, that moment when Jason flew over as Superman, I was never so proud of him in my entire life."

Clark simply took another swig of his alcohol, wishing he could feel the burn.

"You and Lois got some great kids, Clark."

At that, Clark finally looked up at the man with a small smile. "Thanks."

It was weird, their relationship, Clark thought. They had been rivals from the start, and there were many moments where he utterly despised Richard, for what he had done to his family- in particular, to Jason. He had really hurt Jason by leaving him, and for a long time he had stayed gone, too. Until Jason was about eleven years old. They had accidentally bumped into each other at a restaurant while he was in town introducing his new wife to Perry. It had come as a shock to Lois especially, but after the initial awkwardness, they had all slowly fallen back into the old rhythm. He had wanted to see Jason, and eventually they had grown close together again. Clark was genuinely happy for the two of them, but still felt like the odd man out whenever Richard White came around. But after a while, even they became begrudging friends. Though it was rare when they actually saw each other, as Richard lived in England after leaving Lois.

"I'm really sorry for your loss, Clark," Richard's voice tore through his thoughts and Clark gave a small, tight lipped smile. "I know how much you truly loved her."

Clark nodded. "Thanks."

"If you need anything, just let me know, all right?"

Clark nodded again. "Right now, I just wish I could be alone."

Richard winced slightly, deliberately ignoring and misinterpreting the small jab. "I know the feeling. It's tough, trying to move on from someone, especially someone you loved so much. Take it from a man who loved her once- I know a small fraction of what you're going through. Whatever you need, buddy, I'm here for you." He clapped his hand on Clark's shoulder, causing him to flinch in the slightest.

"You don't know," Clark croaked painfully. "You have no idea what it's like."

Richard's voice held a lilt of warning to it. "Clark-"

"No! I don't know how to go on without her! I don't know what to do. You don't understand. No one understands!"

"Clark!" he raised his voice slightly, to get the man's attention. "Why don't we take this somewhere a little more private? Maybe go take a walk or something?"

Clark suddenly noticed the amount of eyes he'd garnished with his short little outburst and reluctantly nodded, following Richard calmly out of the bar and onto the street. They walked in silence for a few moments before Richard once again was the one to break it. "I never did get around to thanking you."

Clark frowned in confusion. "For what?"

"For saving my life."

Clark's brow furrowed deeper. He didn't remember there ever being a circumstance where he had to save Richard White's life, as Superman or otherwise. "When-"

"It was on the roof of the Planet, about six months after Lois and I had split."

Suddenly it struck Clark what he was talking about and it all came flooding back to him. The words Richard had hurled at him, the concern that he might do something rash, the fear and panic at the discovery that the man had figured out he was Superman.

"You know, I really was going to do something rash that day," Richard interrupted his thoughts. "Your words were what stopped me, even when I got home later."

Clark swallowed hard, recognizing how hard those words must have been to say.

"Telling me not to do it, that Jason missed me, even though I didn't or couldn't do anything about it at the time- those words helped me more than you can ever know."

Clark didn't know how to respond. What could he say to that?

"And so I'm going to give you some advice in return."

Clark snapped his eyes up to Richard's face as the man put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. He took a deep breath before leveling his gaze with the hero and twisting his own words back at him. "There's nothing I can really say. I know that there's nothing that can make this any better, nothing I can say. But for what it's worth, I'm truly sorry. And I'm begging you, as a friend, as family, as a man who's been there before- please don't do anything rash. Think about Jason and his family. Think about Lucy. Think of her baby. They'll miss you. They need you. The whole world needs you."

Clark started to tear up and turned to look away from the man. The power of those words, the weight they held for the both of them... it was almost overwhelming. How a man whose life he had practically stolen could turn around and wind up being one of his better friends in the world, Clark could never know. Somehow Richard had found it in his heart to forgive him along the way, and Clark was never more thankful or indebted to anyone more than Richard White. He was the man who gave him back a family. No matter how much seemingly irreparable damage that had been done, Clark knew they were okay, and Richard never expected anything in return. So if this was one of the few things that Richard asked of him, Clark knew that he had to listen. "You been talking to Lucy?"

Richard smiled and patted him on the back. "No. Jason. He's been worried about you."

Clark scoffed but gave him a half-hearted smile. "Richard?"

"Yeah, Clark?"

Clark paused, the word feeling heavy on his tongue. "Thanks."

Richard smiled and nodded back, tears clouding his eyes. "Don't mention it."

They stood in silence for a few moments more, before finally making their way back into the bar and parting ways.


	15. Shed Their Fear

**A/N:** Okay. I'm going to start bringing things up now, I promise. Soon. In this chapter, maybe. Okay, so maybe not. Just bear with me... Next chapter at the latest, I swear. This one's just gonna be, well, kind of sweet. I thought it was, but now I'm thinking maybe I should reevaluate my definitions for words like "sweet" and "happy". *shrugs* Oh, well.

This is a bit of a long one, by the way.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own anything. Also, these disclaimers have no weight because it doesn't matter how much I tell you I own nothing, unless I can prove it falls under Fair Use. Maybe this can qualify as a parody of Superman... it's the serious version of the movies. :P

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><p>Lucy sat at her dining room table, staring blankly down at the envelope in front of her. Her mother's tight, cursive script spelling her name across the front of it. She didn't move. She barely breathed. She sat there waiting, as though the envelope before her would be the one to make the first move.<p>

"You know, if you're not careful, you'll burn a hole through it before you even get the chance to find out what it is."

Lucy shot a glare at her husband, who simply smiled right back at her. She scowled and returned to her newest letter-watching habit.

"Sweetie, you've been staring at that for almost an hour now. Don't you want to know what's in it?"

"I do," she answered unwaveringly.

"Then why don't you just open it? Or just take a quick peek with your x-ray vivion."

Lucy bit her lip nervously. She knew why. She knew exactly why she hadn't opened it yet over the last hour. They had finally gotten home from the funeral an hour ago and when she'd gone into the bedroom to change, she'd found the large envelope sitting on her dresser ominously. She assumed her father had left it there for her earlier, but it had shocked her to see it there at all. She'd started crying almost immediately.

It was likely to be one of the last things she ever got from her mother.

"Would you like me to open it?" Chris' voice was soft and understanding, knowing what she was thinking as well as if she'd said her thoughts aloud.

Lucy shook her head fiercely. "No. I want to open it. I just don't know if I can face what's inside."

Chris nodded. "Okay. But I'm here for you, Luce. You know that."

Lucy knew he was, and he was right. She needed to open it, it would just torture her if she didn't. And the longer she waited, the worse it would get. With a deep, shuddering breath, Lucy finally tore through the end of the envelope and looked inside.

Pages upon pages stared back at her, that same cursive script written across every page. Slowly, with a lump in her throat, Lucy dumped out the papers on to the table. A single, small envelope slid out with them, obviously meant to be read first. She gulped, sending her husband a quick look of panic, overwhelmed by it all. He squeezed her hand tightly as she reached for the smaller envelope, and with one last deep breath, she carefully unsealed it and began reading.

_My dearest Lucy_-

She put down the letter immediately, head reeling and fresh tears already springing to her eyes. How could she read this right now? She was falling apart enough already. Curse her father for thinking she should get this right after the funeral. She didn't even have fair warning to prepare.

"Do you want me to read the first one?" Chris' voice broke through the silence, ultimately grabbing her attention. It was all she could do to nod at her husband and hand the letter over. He cleared his throat and began reading Lois Lane-Kent's last words to her daughter.

_My dearest Lucy,_

_I don't quite know how to start this. I know what I have to say, what I'm supposed to say, but I just can't seem to find the words for it. But I am a reporter, and words are what I get paid for, so, here it goes. _

_First of all, I guess I'll start out with the only fact I have: the fact that you are reading this letter. I assume that must mean that I am dead (although if I'm not and you just happened to stumble upon this letter, then you're in trouble, little missy. Because if I took all this time and planning out of my busy schedule in taking care of you two kids to do something nice and sentimental and you just go and blow it, I'm going to be _very _mad_.)

Lucy snorted with laughter, because that sentence was _so_ her mother that she could practically hear her voice calmly yelling those words at her.

Chris felt the corners of his mouth turn up slightly at the laugh Lois was able to get out of her daughter in even this trying time, even after death. He continued reading.

_Regardless, first let me just say that I am sorry. I wish I never had to leave you two kids, or your father, ever, but one must be prepared for the worst, at least that's what your dad's been telling me. _

_There's just so much I don't know. It makes it incredibly hard to write this letter to you, Lucy. I don't know how old you are. I don't know how I died. I don't know if I have any grandchildren by then, or if you're married, or even grown up yet. Right now, it seems impossible- seems so far away in the future- to think of you married or dating or in school at all. Not when you're playing in your crib right over there, sucking some- wait- Sorry about that. You tend to put things you shouldn't in your mouth, like pieces of Lego that Jason leaves lying around (don't worry, I'll be giving him an earful when he gets home from school). I wish you'd be a little bit more like your father, and just put your foot in your mouth. _

Chris couldn't help his laugh at that one, and even Lucy grinned. "I guess it seems like nothing's changed on that front."

"You know my dad as well as any of us. He's very practiced at that."

His eyes were drawn back to the lines on a page and his grin widened as he read aloud.

_I mean, seriously. You think the man would be much more flexible what with how often he practices that technique. But does that make a difference? No. He's still as stiff and inflexible as ever. "Oh, Lois, I can't do that move!" or, "Lois, untie me!" What a baby. _

Chris had to stop to brush tears of laughter out of his eyes and to catch his breath. Lucy buried her quickly reddening face in her hands as her husband couldn't control his laughter at her embarrassment. "It's not funny!" she protested loudly, to no avail. She crossed her arms in a huff. "At least, it won't be when you can't look my father in the eye or shake his hand the next time we see him."

Suddenly Chris's laughter died down and a very disturbing image entered his mind, making him groan and shut his eyes firmly.

"Told ya," Lucy gloated, sounding too smug for her own good.

Chris frowned, deeply disturbed now, and focused on the task of reading Lois Lane's words.

_Oh my god. I can't believe I just wrote about my sex life in a letter of my "dying words" to my _daughter. _I _cannot_ rewrite this letter again- Clark's already made me throw out the last five because I "wasn't taking this seriously enough," according to him. He's the one forcing me to do this, you know. Says that writing letters would be both a good way to deal with things after my postpartum and that it would be fun, therapeutic even, to write to someone without any consequence. Little did I know when I'd agreed to this that I would be submitting it for corrections to GrammarMan over there. _

_Maybe I just will seal the envelope before he gets home to read it. That way he'll never have to know and I'm spared the humiliation of having to start over. Again. _

_I know he's just worried. Your daddy is such a worrier- you'll soon figure that out, if you haven't already. I know it scares him how often I'm in the "jaws of death," as he likes to describe it. Personally, I think he's being a little bit melodramatic, but I suppose that's where we're different people. I can't stop chasing the truth any more than he can stop being Superman. _

_Whoops. I hope you already knew that. I'm assuming you're old enough by now to know the family secret (I'm hoping anyway- gosh, if you aren't? Uh. I can't even go there in my mind). You've probably got the powers and everything. I hope I'm still around to see when you do. I guess that's why I'm writing this though, right? For that moment when I'm not. _

_Geez. This is kind of where I've been stopping. All the jokes aside, I really don't want to write this letter to you. Your dad said he's been writing letters for years, in journals, on the computer, everywhere he can._

"Did you know your dad wrote you letters too?"

Lucy looked up at him, broken from the reverie of his reading. "Hmm? Oh, no. I didn't even know my mom wrote letters to any of us."

Chris was about to say something, but decided to keep reading instead.

_He tried making me read some of his stuff, but after the first one I just couldn't keep reading. If I'm being totally honest- which I might as well be because, at this point, I'm dead- it scares me. The thought of ever losing your father, or you kids, or even just not being there myself for you guys, no matter if you're old and decrepit by the time I die or if you're a day older than you are tomorrow. I can't stand the thought of it. I guess that must be why I've been avoiding this for so long. I don't usually do this- think about things before I do them. It's my job, as a reporter, and especially with your father as my partner, to be the person who jumps in head first without checking the water level. (Never do that, by the way. In a pool, of course.) But because of that habit, I tend not to think about the consequences until it's undoubtedly too late. I usually end up having those come-to-Jesus moments after the bad guy's already finished his monologue and your father has yet to show up (he doesn't like to tell me, but I know that 90% of the time it's due to some kind of Kryptonite exposure. He doesn't like to talk about it too much- I would say he's such a baby when he's hurt, but I know he's just so unused to the pain of it all, he can't help it. Oh, I hope you never, ever have to experience such pain, Lucy. I would kill someone if they dared to try and hurt you. The same goes for your brother)._

_Where was I? Oh, yeah. I have a hard time seeing the consequences. I guess that's what makes me such a good reporter- I can practically imagine your father rolling his eyes here, but even he'd have to agree with me there. He knows I'm good at my job. Hell, I'm the one who trained him to be good at his job- both his jobs, actually. And yes, I'm taking credit for Superman. I dare your father to challenge me on this._

_(By the by, don't show this letter to your father if you can help it. I've broken so many of his rules that if this does make it into your hands, then you can be sure that there's no way in hell he's read it yet. I'd like it to stay that way. Oh! I'm dead now, right? Good! This can be my dying wish. One of many, I'm sure, but yes.)_

Chris and Lucy shared a laugh at that. That was so Lois, too.

_Ooh. I think I'm going to like this. Not, you know, being dead, but there's a lot to be said for being able to make whatever requests I want. And like your dad says, with how often I'm in danger, I could go at any time- so you kids had better be nice to me. _

Lucy grinned. "I've heard that line my whole life. 'I almost died today, so you'd better be nice to me. Your father had to come and rescue me again.'"

Chris smiled back. "You think that would work on our kid one day? 'Your mom had to save me today, so be nice.'"

"Mmm, if you need me to save you in an operating room, I don't think I'll be the best person to help."

"What about 'your mother had to deal with your grandfather at work today, so you better give her a wide berth'?"

She grinned. "Now that, I might deem acceptable."

He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss on her smiling lips, happy to see her smile again. It seems like it's been so long... "Ready?"

She took a deep breath and nodded.

_Anyways. On to what I should be talking about in here. I love you and your father and your brother so much. Unbelievably so. You can't possibly imagine how much, perhaps until you have kids of your own someday. Then you'll realize what I mean. Because as much as I love my work and being a strong, independent career woman, it honestly pales in comparison to how it feels becoming a mother._

Lucy felt her eyes spill over with tears, barely realizing she was crying again until Chris stopped reading and brushed them off her cheek. "Hey," he whispered, scooting his chair closer to hers and pulling her into his arms. "Hey, shh, don't cry. It'll all be okay."

Her shoulders began shaking as she cried more. "I-I just wish she could be here, at least until I have this baby."

"Sh-shh," he soothed. "I know. I do too."

"I m-m-miss her."

Chris' heart constricted with pain. He hated when his wife cried. He hated that she had to lose her mother. And as much of a handful as Lois could be, Chris had loved her too. Having lost his own mother at a young age, Lois was the closest thing he had to a mother in a long time. "I miss her too, Luce."

They took a pause from their reading, winding up consoling each other on the couch as they drifted off to sleep together.

Lucy couldn't find sleep, though, restlessly tossing and turning against Chris' side. Finally she gave up, carefully moving away from him so as to not wake him- though if he hadn't woken up yet despite her flailing limbs, he likely wouldn't wake up at all.

She made her way back to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of milk, and heating it up with her eyes briefly. She cast her gaze around the room, taking it all in absently. Her gaze landed on the pile of letters once more, and she allowed herself to drift back over. Curiosity got the best of her and she sat down and picked up her mother's letter once again, reading carefully. She was surprised by how little was left of it.

_Oh my goodness. It's almost five. I can't have your father catch me writing this, or he'll speed read it or take it out of my hands or use his x-ray vision or some other crap like that. Sometimes, it really sucks being the only non-super in the family. At least I've still got you for a few more years. Hopefully you'll discover your powers a little more peacefully than Jason did. Poor kid. You know, to this day, he still only remembers bits and pieces of what happened, most of which involving your father (as Superman, of course). He knows, on some level, what happened, but I guess the mind works in funny ways. I'm glad actually; he doesn't need that extra weight on his shoulders. He's a bit too serious of a child anyways. _

Lucy frowned slightly. Jason never did talk about how he discovered his powers, come to think of it. He didn't talk often about that time period in general, the few years before her parents were married. Maybe she'd ask him. Or better yet, maybe she'd ask her dad. She didn't want to dredge up bad memories if she didn't have to. Instead, Lucy shook herself and continued reading to the end.

_You know, maybe your dad was right. Maybe this writing thing is therapeutic. I just might do it a bit more often, now that I can get through one without Super-control-freak breathing down my neck. Yeah, maybe I will. Plus, I'm sure I can think of plenty of dying requests for the three of you to fulfill. _

_Love, Mom._

_P.S. Don't you dare *ever* tell your father I said he was right. Ruin my reputation and all that. Even in death, I am right, and he is wrong. Remember that, Lucy._

Lucy smiled through her tears as she replaced it carefully back in the envelope. She sifted through some of the others, reading bits and pieces here and there, laughing at some of the patented Mad Dog Lane spirit coming through, crying at the sentimental parts, sobbing at the realization that she was really gone, and just in general kept reading.

_I can't believe you finally discovered your powers today. And I can't believe you had to set fire to the living room rug in order to do it. If I weren't crying over how fast my baby girl is growing up, I'd probably be wringing your neck..._

_... High school! It's only your second day and it's already become all about the drama for you. My mother would say it's karma- in fact, she did just say that to me on the phone this morning..._

_... You wouldn't believe how bad your father was after your boyfriend left dinner last night! I had to threaten him with Kryptonite if he wouldn't settle down and relax. You're only sixteen, only dating this guy for a few weeks (and yet you already think it's love- which it's not by the way, I'm not taking your side here. But I'm also not going to get behind the crazy guy who thinks drop kicking your biker friend off the Daily Planet rooftop is a good idea)..._

The next one Lucy picked up made her heart stop as she read who it was addressed to.

_Dear Chris-_

Lucy glanced at the paper, curious if there was a date on there and coming up empty. She wondered whether her mother even meant for this letter to go in here, or if it was simply a mistake, a slip of the hand. Nervously, she began to read.

_This may seem strange to you, since this is only the third time we've met and here I go, writing you a letter. Hell, I think it's a little strange, and I definitely know my husband does. I likely won't ever send this to you, but there's just a few things I've got to get out there and, well, this has become a habit of mine, writing letters like these to my family. _

_Why am I writing to you, then? You're not family, you might remind me. Well, not yet. I don't know how or why I know this, but I just got a gut feeling about you and Lucy. And I always trust my gut. It rarely fails me. Well, it rarely fails me in non-life-threatening situations. You're not an evil maniac, right? I didn't think so. _

_My point is, I like you. I know Lucy more than likes you, possibly even loves you. And I can tell without a doubt that you love Lucy. Something about the way you two are together, it's like you just make sense. (Also, you're tall and handsome and I know you're my daughter's type, physically speaking.) _

_However, I'm going to set some ground rules for you, and so long as you're still with my daughter, you'd better mind them, or there'll be hell to pay. _

_Number one: you stand by her side. If I find out you do anything to hurt my baby girl, that you so much as glance away for one little moment, I will kill you. Better yet, Clark will kill you. _Superman_ will kill you. I have an arsenal of people at my disposal, some of whom are quite unsavory folk, who will gladly take care of some dirty work for me, especially if it means defending Lucy. And the police commissioner owes me a couple of favors. No one will even know a thing._

Lucy couldn't help but laugh at that. She knew as well as Chris did now that her mother never would have done anything so drastic as she made it sound. She could get a bit over dramatic, could curse a blue streak and trick you into letting her have her own way, but she wasn't going to do any sort of torturing or killing.

Her father was a different story, of course. Chris to this day took Clark's early threats very seriously, even though he really was a big softie, too.

_All threats aside now, I really do think you're a nice guy. Which leads me to my second request: take care of my daughter. I know, it doesn't sound very forward thinking and feminist of me, but I need to make sure you're the right guy for the job. Lucy's as stubborn and feminist as I am, and would probably kill me for saying such a thing, but hear me out. _

_I know that she's strong and invulnerable in physical matters. But really she's as vulnerable as any other woman. She loves large, and when it comes to matters of the heart, she gets easily hurt. She's a bit of a romantic that way. She has this whole idea in her head about what true love is, probably because of my relationship with her father. Even I have to admit that we're in a one of a kind relationship. I just don't want anyone to disappoint her, because she wasn't around to see the hardest parts, before we were married, before she was born. I don't want her to think it's all coming up roses once you're in love, even though for a time it is and will be, but at the same time I don't want her getting jaded. So treat her well, and be careful with her heart when she gives it to you. _

_She breaks so easily. She cries- honestly, she's already got her dad wrapped around her finger, just with a bat of her lashes and poof, Superman's on his knees- and she takes on a lot of guilt. She's more sensitive than she wants anyone to know. Especially about bad things that happen in the world. Since I've decided I'm not going to actually send this letter to you (because I've given away too much information already), I guess I'll keep going. Clark being Superman really has an impact on her. She wishes she could help, do more, because every time she doesn't and a tragedy strikes she ties herself to that guilt, even when there's nothing she could have done. And maybe one day she'll get there. Maybe she'll become a superhero of her own someday, stop crime and divert natural disasters. But I want her to live her life first, not get bogged down in it all, the whole dual identity thing and the extra guilt of maybe not having been fast enough, strong enough, smart enough. I want her to meet someone, to be happy, no matter what that means. I want _you_ to make her happy. Care for her. Tell her it's not her fault when she gets into those guilty moods, bring her chocolate when she gets into those 'other' moods. Treat her like a princess. Her daddy already does, so she'll be used to it. I would say not to get freaked out, because she's not so high maintenance, but... well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and I've been told on many occasion that I'm high maintenance. Some people might think that's a problem, but I say (and Clark agrees) that's what makes us worth it. So treasure her. She deserves a good guy, and you seem as good as they come to me. Clark, whenever he decides to stop avoiding you, will most likely really like you too. At least you won't have a motorcycle or tattoos. I think at this point he'll take what he can get. (Though to be honest I'm pretty sure Lucy only ever dated that guy in high school to get under his skin. Did I mention she can get a little spiteful?)_

Lucy snorted. Her mother made her sound like a complete monster. She was lucky Chris didn't get this letter and run the other way.

_Now, don't read this and start thinking she's anything less than perfect. Because she is. She's intelligent, beautiful, strong, funny- although a bit on the sassy side at times. And you would be the luckiest man on earth to have her, whether or not she has the superpowers. Which, she does, by the way. And again, I will hurt you if anything happens to her. But I think you're the right guy for her. _

_From what I know about you, so far there's nothing I don't like. Graduated from Met U (my Alma mater, by the way) with full honors, had a full ride scholarship and now on your way up the totem pole to becoming a surgeon. It's quite impressive. Also, the background checks I've run on you have turned up nothing bad arrests-wise, so that's a plus in your column, too. _

Lucy laughed quietly to herself, rolling her eyes. Her mother _would_ run a background check on all of her boyfriends. And all that time, she had thought her father was the paranoid one. Then again, Superman scrolling through arrest records wouldn't quite be becoming, either, so she supposed she'd rather her mother do it. Heck, Clark was probably the one who asked her to do it in the first place.

_She told me about your own family, you know. Mother died when you were twelve, father present but not really there. I know how hard that must be. And I'm sorry for that. But like I said earlier, I do like you. And if you two do end up together (which I'm going to put money on- Clark will likely bet against me, so I think I'm likely to win), then I hope you'd think of me as a surrogate mother for you. I know I could never replace her, but I do care about you already and know you're one of the good guys. And don't worry; after he finally meets you, I'm sure Clark will quickly come around to you. _

_I feel like I'm babbling again, so I'll cut myself short here. (Clark always tells me I do that too much.) But I can't help myself. I think I just met my daughter's future husband. Father of my grandchildren. I can only hope for the best. Of course, I won't tell Lucy any of this, or she'll think I'm meddling again and back off, which is the last thing I want. _

_Anyways. Just have fun. _

_Lois Lane-Kent_

Lucy brushed away some more tears as she put the letter back on the pile for Chris to read later and sat back in her seat. There was so much she to this day hadn't known about her mother. Getting this look into the world from her eyes was at once comforting and frightening to Lucy. Suddenly taken with the urge to do something, she quickly stood up and began to pace, before finally turning to find a pen and pad of paper for herself.

Lucy must have stared at the blank page for an hour before finally writing down words, few though they were, and eventually drifting off into dreamland with her head against the table.

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><p>When Chris awoke the next morning, he found his pregnant wife slumped across pages of letters, pen marks on her face from the pen that had slipped out from behind her ear. He smiled softly, moving the pen before noticing that she had been writing her own little letter. It was short, but sweet.<p>

_Dear Baby Thomas,_

_Hi. I'm your mother. You know, the one who's been carrying you around these past seven and a half months? Yeah. That's me. Gosh, I barely know what to write here, I was just suddenly so taken with the urge to get something down on paper and now suddenly I have nothing to say. I don't even know if you're a girl or a boy yet. Your grandma never knew. Oh, that's gonna make me cry again. Let's see. Well, all I can say is how happy I am to have you in my life, and I can't wait to meet you. Your daddy and I love you so much already, and I don't want to miss a single moment with you. You're going to be strong, and beautiful- or handsome, if you'd prefer- and smart. You're going to be the greatest little miracle that ever happened to me. Please be safe._

_Love, Mommy_

Chris smiled a watery smile at the words, and gently pressed a kiss to her temple, accidentally rousing his wife.

"Mmm, what time ish it?" Her words slurred slightly.

Chris kissed her again. "It's too early for you. Go back to bed. You can sleep in all day today if you want."

"Mm, that sounds nice," she murmured as her husband helped her up and guided her back to their bedroom and under the covers.

"Yeah. I'll draw the curtains, make it nice and dark, and whenever you're up I'll get you some food, okay?"

She was already out cold. Chris smiled and decided to go back out there and tidy things up.

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><p><strong>AN #2:** Reviews?


	16. Hello My Old Heart

**A/N:** Okay, so we should be out of the sadness slump for now. XDDD There'll be ups and downs of course, that's life, but for the next few chapters, I promise happy times. Especially here. You're welcome.

**Disclaimer:** I still own nothing. Read and Review!

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><p>The apartment was dim and dusty. In the past month since Lois' funeral, nothing had really been moved- if anything, more had only been added, what with all of the condolence cards, dirty dishes, empty takeout food containers and long dead flowers. But somehow, it still felt emptier than ever before. It was as if Lois' presence took the life out of their home.<p>

It took Clark Kent's life with it.

Sure, he completed most of his basic functions- some in excess, even. Eating, sleeping, drinking, bathroom- and he'd even started to make a few appearances as Superman in the last two weeks, per Lois' request. In all honesty, he was doing well. Better than expected, in fact. He almost smiled slightly to himself at his reasoning, and curled back up under the heavy comforter once more, burrowing his face into the couch pillows. Ignoring the fact that it was two o'clock in the afternoon and the world kept on spinning. Yeah, he was perfectly fine. He could afford another day off to relax under the covers. He was not moping, he reassured himself. Lois demanded that he not mope.

The phone rang out shrilly, startling Clark out of his half-slumber. He glanced over at the phone, tempted to melt it with his heat vision, before deciding to ignore it entirely. The couch was too comfortable, layered with every blanket he owned, unable to sleep in his own bed without Lois in it with him. God, maybe he was a wreck, he thought to himself. How could he ever face the world again when he could barely face his own home?

The phone refused to stop ringing. It took what seemed like forever, but in reality was only it's usual six rings before catching the answering machine.

_"Hi! You've reached the home of Clark Kent-"  
><em>

_"- And Lois Lane!"_

_"Please leave a message after the beep!"_

_"Clark! You watch your language!"_

The tone of their joint answering machine message would have brought a smile to his face, if it hadn't nearly brought him to tears. The mere sound of Lois' voice was almost too much, and at the same time, hearing her just one more time brought so much comfort to his grieving soul that he wished he could hear it all of the time, that people wouldn't ever stop calling so that he could keep listening to it.

_Beeeeep!_

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"_

The sound of the recorded scream, closely followed by a long string of expletives that would have made a sailor blush, made Clark sit up ramrod straight, blankets falling off of his shoulders. His first instinct, after all the language, was to look for Lois, but unfortunately he knew that wasn't a possibility anymore. He listened very carefully to the other end of the message.

"_Breathe, honey, breathe. Clark, I know you're in there, moping around somewhere. So pick up the goddamn phone right this second, before your daughter kills me, then tracks you down and kills you!"_

The threat from his son-in-law was enough to get him up and moving to the phone. He had no idea what was going on and why there was so much screaming and yelling, but he was certain it couldn't be good.

"Chris?"

_"Clark! Thank God!"_

Clark frowned, immediately slipping into concerned father mode. "What's going on? Why is there screaming?"

_"I don't know how to tell you this, but you need to get down the hospital right now!"_

Clark felt all the blood drain from his head as he started to get woozy. The way the words were said, that it was Chris saying them, nearly knocked him off his feet. He swallowed thickly and braced himself against the arm of the couch. "Is everything all right?" he spoke hoarsely, fearing the worst.

_"No, everything is not all right, Clark! Your daughter's just about broke my hand-"_

_"Oh, yeah? How 'bout you try pushing this melon sized person out of your-"_

Clark pulled the phone away from his ear at the conveniently timed scream his daughter let out. She always did have his lungs. Wait a minute- "Chris, is she in labor?! The baby's coming now?"

_"No shit, Sherlock!"_ His daughter's voice echoed loudly through the phone, causing Clark to wince at both the tone and the words themselves.

_"Lucy, honey, calm down, okay? Just breathe. Remember?"_

Clark, flustered, quickly checked the date on his phone and did some mental calculations. "But it's too early! The baby's not due yet for another three weeks, at least!"

_"Yeah, well, baby's coming now, Clark. Now could you please get down here as fast as you can before I lose my entire arm?"_

Clark didn't even say goodbye as he hung up the phone and flew over there, changing in an alleyway upon arrival to the hospital once again. He fought to keep the bad memories at bay as he strode briskly through the hospital lobby, determined to keep it a happy day.

He ran a hand through his hair and smiled at the receptionist. "Hi, Clark Kent, I'm here to see Lucy Thomas? She's my daughter, I just got a call that she's in labor here somewhere-"

She smiled at him genuinely. "Dr. Thomas already had you down on a list. I'll send you through."

Clark raced through the corridors as fast as humanly possible, careful of the wandering eyes so as to not get caught. Finally, he reached the room and skidded to a halt as he quickly opened the door and turned in.

"Miss anything?" he asked casually as he immediately made his way to his daughter's side.

"Daddy!" she cried out, reaching almost blindingly for his hand as the worst of her latest contractions subsided.

Clark grinned and pulled up a chair as he gripped her hand tightly in his and kissed it gently. "How you doing, sweetheart?"

Lucy had her eyes shut firmly as the pain ebbed away, if only for a moment, but still managed a tight lipped smile. "Oh, you know. Just swell."

Clark laughed and glanced up at his son-in-law, who was half-laughing, half trying to figure out how to breathe himself. Clark smiled at him. "And how are you holding up, Chris?"

The younger man looked frazzled. "Well, I can still move my hand, so that's good."

Clark chuckled softly and returned his gaze to his daughter's face once more, studying her. God. She looked so much like Lois did, he thought to himself. Especially remembering that day, a little more than thirty years ago, when she had been in this exact same predicament having Lucy. It both pained and warmed his heart, thinking of that day. He missed her.

Another wave of pain obviously rolled through his daughter and jerked Clark back to attention as she literally squeezed his hand for all it was worth. Chris stood on her other side, coaching her breathing and Clark just watched everything as it happened, taking it all in.

In a lot of ways, this was the very last place he wanted to be. The thought of being in the same room as his daughter as she gave birth, frankly, slightly disturbed him. He was a dad; he didn't like the thought of his baby girl being a... yuck... sexual being whatsoever, even though it was with her husband and she was giving birth. That was a husband's job, maybe a mother's. His heart clenched painfully as Lucy clenched his hand even harder, even causing _him_ a bit of discomfort at the pressure. But they had discussed early on in Lucy's first trimester all of the very special, very different things that they would be dealing with throughout her pregnancy. With Lois, and he supposed also with Maisie, they each had a super man to hold onto, and fortunately neither of the Kent men felt any pain from their wives gripping their hands so tightly. But with Lucy it was different. _She_ was the strong one. And Chris most definitely was not.

Jason obviously refused to be the one in here holding her hand. It was weird enough for Clark to do it, as the father- but he'd accepted it readily, wanting to do anything to help his little girl and her baby.

Lois may have twisted his arm a bit, too.

"Dr. Gruenfeld, how far along are we?" Chris' voice rang out above his wife's screams and Clark's murmurs of reassurance.

"Still only at eight centimeters, but we're almost there. You've got to calm her down somehow, Chris. She keeps trying to push and she can't be pushing yet."

"Sweetheart?" Clark murmured to his daughter. "Sweetie, look at me." Lucy snapped her pained blue eyes to meet her father's, and Clark felt bad for her but there was nothing he could do right now to ease her pain, not beyond what he was already doing. "Lucy, you have to just breathe through it. This baby doesn't want to come out yet. Maybe you should lower the screams a little bit." Clark was getting worried she might start demonstrating her superpowers soon if she wasn't careful.

Lucy just clamped her eyes tighter and shouted out, trying to breath.

"Are you sure you don't want the epidural?" Her obstetrician asked gently, no judgement shining from her hazel brown eyes.

Lucy shook her head fiercely as the contraction stopped once more. "No. No epidural. I can do this," she spoke through gritted teeth.

Clark knew the real reason for this, of course, as she went back to breathing with Chris. She couldn't get the epidural. The needle might break, and even if by some miracle it didn't, there was still the fact that it likely wouldn't have any effect on her at all, and therefore be a pointless risk.

"You're gonna have to give it just a little more time, okay Luce?" Chris soothed her. "Remember your lamaze breathing. Ready, sweetheart? In, in, out. Come on, do it with me."

Lucy nodded as she followed her husband's directions, working through the beginning of the next contraction as it started, before ultimately shouting out in agony again.

"That's it, we're almost there," Dr. Gruenfeld spoke with a smile. "Just one more centimeter. Now Lucy, when I say push, you're going to have to push harder than you've ever pushed in your life, got it?"

She nodded fiercely, unable to open her eyes now. The pain was almost excruciating, but Lucy knew she was almost there, her baby was almost ready. They were lucky thus far that the complications had been kept to a minimum. Except for the fact that she was three weeks early, of course.

"You're almost there, sweetie, just hold on a little bit longer," Chris' voice was a little strained, but Clark could understand the boy's worry. If things suddenly changed, if anything at all didn't work out perfectly, everything then hung in the balance. Clark knew that, despite any of Lucy's protests about saving the baby before herself or not risking the family secret should the situation arise, he would give up Superman entirely if it meant saving his daughter and her child. He knew Chris would be in agreement, if not beat him to the punch. Especially so soon after having lost Lois... Clark knew he wouldn't be able to handle anything more tragic happening.

"You're doing great, Lucy!" the doctor's voice was cheerful as it rang out. Clark took that as a good sign. "Okay, get ready. On the count of three, we're gonna start pushing. Remember?" Lucy nodded fiercely, eyes shut tightly in expectation of the pain to come. "Ready... One, two, three... Push!"

Lucy screamed out loudly and pushed with all of her might, squeezing her father's hand tighter than ever before, prompting him to almost squirm in pain.

"Push!"

Clark watched the scene before him with fascination as it all unfolded, almost as though he were an invisible onlooker. Chris, coaching Lucy, brushing her hair back from her forehead, looking every bit as nervous as his wife and yet managed to keep a smile on his face throughout it all. Lucy, listening to her doctor's and Chris directions, as she pushed and screamed right on cue. It was an incredible picture, Clark thought to himself. He had been in predicaments where he'd had to deliver babies before, as Superman, and that feeling of wonder and new life never failed to amaze him. It was thrilling.

The pain in his hand was new, though. Clark looked down at his fingers, tightly wrapped in his daughter's own. He knew what Chris meant when he said she'd break his hand- he was Superman, and still her grip was crushing. He supposed that she had all his powers, so it made sense, but this was certainly a new element.

"That's it! The baby's crowning! We're almost there! One more good, strong push, Lucy, and you'll be home free!"

Clark looked to his daughter's face with surprise. This was certainly happening faster than he remembered with her birth- Lois always complained that Jason might have been harder to deal with as a child, but at nineteen hours of labor, Lucy was the more demanding baby. He hoped all would go well with this little one-

The sound of a small cry suddenly interrupted Clark's train of thoughts as he instantly straightened up and looked towards the source. The doctor held up a tiny, beautiful, only slightly bloodied baby and smiled as she showed it to them. "It's a girl thing," she replied.

Clark felt his smile reach his ears- possibly the first genuine smile he'd expressed since Lois' passing. Chris shouted happily and kissed Lucy on the lips quickly before turning back to the doctor- and his daughter! - with visible excitement. Clark watched with concern as the doctor asked Chris to cut the cord, but thankfully it went off without a hitch, apparently not being in an invulnerable state currently as a newborn baby.

The little girl was quickly given to Lucy before being pulled away equally as quick to be cleaned and taken care of. Before Clark could even truly process anything beyond that cry, the baby was back. His granddaughter, all swaddled in pink and wearing a tiny little cap.

Clark could barely constrain his joy.

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><p>Lucy stared at the little bundle of joy- quite literally- that was placed in her arms only moments ago. A girl. She'd thought it might be. There was no explanation for it, but for some unknown reason...<p>

Lucy felt her heart catch in her throat as the baby girl started to cry and wail once again, the noise so small and tiny it was hard to imagine it had come from a person at all, let alone this tiny little thing. She rocked her ever so slightly, making a shushing noise and speaking softly. "Hey, it's okay. Mommy's here," her heart ached with happiness, strangely filling her and almost overwhelming her to the point of tears. Lucy looked at Chris, an expression of awe on her face, and saw that he was just as amazed as she was. Briefly, he lowered his head and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before they both were inevitably drawn back to the tiny, dark-haired baby in her arms.

She was a mother now, Lucy's heart swelled again and tears started dripping down her cheeks. Suddenly, she felt a light touch to her shoulder drag her attention to the left, towards her father who she'd almost forgotten was even in the room. He practically beamed at her, not saying a word because he knew his expression said it all. She shifted slightly and moved the baby over so that her father could get a good look at her.

She smiled proudly as her father shed some of his own tears- his large hand reaching out gently, almost reverently, to stroke the side of the baby blanket.

As her daughter slowly started to settle down, her eyes blinked open, and the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen stared back up at her. Lucy gasped at the sight of them- they were Chris' brown eyes. So much of her little features reminded her of herself, but those eyes... they were definitely his. In a way, the combination made her look so much like her own mother. More tears rose to her eyes and fell down her cheeks, but they were mostly happy. She couldn't find room in her heart to be sad for a moment longer than she had to.

Their daughter was exquisitely perfect.

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><p>Clark wandered through the halls of the hospital hallway aimlessly, coffee cup in hand, his slow amble getting him nowhere fast. He couldn't keep the smile off his face- he was a grandfather, again. For the first time, though, to a baby girl. He had a granddaughter. Wow, was that thought incredible. And she was beautiful. Lucy really did a good job.<p>

Speaking of which, he should probably head back to their room. The baby had already been taken to have some tests done- she was born a week earlier than was normally deemed safe, but although she did seem a bit on the tiny side, so far everything had seemed to have gone well. Lucy and Chris were getting some much needed rest, so he'd left them to themselves for an hour or so, but now he was anxious to get back and hopefully see his granddaughter again.

He made a quick detour by the nursery, but upon discovering that they had taken her back up to be with her parents, Clark eagerly stepped up his pace until he reached the correct hospital room.

Clark wrapped his knuckles lightly on the door before entering. He saw the baby was asleep and kept his voice down low. "Hey."

Chris looked up at his father-in-law, unable to quit smiling as well. Lucy continued to stare right on at her baby, eyes shining with love. "Hey Grandpa," she whispered teasingly.

Clark grinned and settled into his seat once more. "She's all good?"

"Yeah. They said she's a bit on the small side, and want to keep an eye on her overnight just in case, which I'll be here too, but so far no worries."

He nodded, taking a brief sip of his coffee. He watched as his daughter and son-in-law seemed to have a conversation with just their eyes before turning back to face him. He frowned slightly out of curiosity. "What?"

A slight smile pulled at Lucy's lips as she spoke. "We, uh, we think we have a name."

Clark felt his own face light up at this new information. "You do? What is it?"

Lucy glanced at Chris once more, who nodded in agreement and she turned back to face her father. "Lois Victoria Thomas."

Clark instantly felt struck by the weight of the name, and fresh tears came to his eyes. He put his face in his hands and tried fruitlessly to keep the tears at bay.

Chris' voice spoke up, slightly more hesitant now off his father-in-law's reaction. "It's for both our mothers. And they are both kind of old fashioned names, true, but we figure she can choose from a ton of different shortened versions if she likes."

"Dad? Are you okay with this?"

"Are you kidding me?" He asked, suddenly looking up at his daughter and the baby in her arms. "I'm more than okay with it. I'm ecstatic. Your mom... Nothing would make her prouder, Lucy. I'm glad you chose it. It's just..." he let his sentence trail off, unsure of where to take it without making a mess of things.

Lucy understood, picking up where her father left off. "It's just a shame that she wasn't here to see it."

He returned with a watery smile. "Yeah. But I think it's the perfect name for her. She's perfect. I'm so proud of you guys." He watched their faces light up and return their attention to the baby girl who had just woken up. Baby Lois. It really was perfect. She did look kind of like Lois, even now, as a tiny little wrinkled baby.

And he meant every word of it. She was perfect, and there was never a better name for someone so perfect. It made him so happy to think that his daughter and her husband would honor her memory so, that they would use the name in spite of how out of style it was. And to use both names, it was just... perfect.

For the first time in the past month and a half since Lois passed away, Clark felt as if his heart was full and the smile would never leave his face. And suddenly, he knew everything would be all right.

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><p><strong>Review! <strong>How do you feel about Baby Lois? More of her (and happy times) to come, don't worry!


	17. Baby Mine

**A/N:** See? Happy times! And more Baby Lois to come!

**Disclaimer:** Own nothing. Nothing's changed.

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><p>There was a heavy, tired sounding knock on the which was speedily answered by Clark, who had a wide grin on his face. "Hey," he greeted. "Come on in." Jason and Maisie and their three boys all entered the apartment. Maisie leaned in and gave her father-in-law a quick peck on the cheek in greeting as he took her coat while Jason instructed his kids to be quiet and well-behaved.<p>

Clark clapped a hand on his son's shoulder, frowning slightly as his son half-flinched and pulled away. "Hey, what's the matter?"

"Nothing," Jason muttered, brushing his father off before finally releasing some of his tension in a sigh. He flashed Clark a small smile. "Sorry. Just a little stressed, you know?"

"Three boys will do that to you, I imagine," Clark agreed with a grin.

"Yeah," Jason murmured softly before retreating back into his own head space. Clark frowned again, wondering what was really wrong with his son. He opened his mouth to try asking again when the reason for his happiness in the first place walked back into the room and Clark's grin came back back full force.

"There's my precious little girl!" He swooped in and stole the cooing, wide-eyed baby out of her mother's arms.

As everyone started to ooh and ahh over little Lois, Lucy threw her arms up in the air. "So what does that make me? Chopped liver?"

Jason chuckled and made his way over to his sister, giving her a one-armed hug in the process. "Welcome to your future. This will forever be your life now. How you doing?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Tired. I love her to death, she's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me..."

"But?"

Lucy glared at him. "What makes you think there's a but?"

Jason grinned smugly right back at her. "Because you're my sister and I know you too well."

She glared a few minutes longer before dropping the act with a sigh. She turned her eyes back up to her brother, expression dead serious, and spoke quietly. "She's a screamer."

Jason's resounding laugh boomed. "Serves you right. Do you have any idea how many nights I was sleepless after you were born? Maybe I'm just remembering it worse, because I was a kid, but I don't think any of my boys were as bad as you. John might have come close, but still. Torture, I tell you. They say you get the kids that you deserve."

Lucy gave him her best evil glare and he laughed some more. He looked like he needed that laugh, though, she thought, so she let him have it and moved on. "Yeah, well, I don't know how much longer Chris and I can take it. I mean, she's gotta stop crying at some point, right? But the only time I can get her to stop is when she nurses- and if she nurses at that! Do you know how hard it's been getting her to latch? She's, like, refusing to drink or something!"

Jason groaned and covered his ears. "Don't want to hear about that."

Lucy rolled her eyes at how immature her thirty-seven year old brother could be. "Well, regardless, I'm gonna have to go back to the doctors this week and see if there's anything they can suggest."

Jason watches as his wife holds their two month old niece in her arms and his father hovers close by. "She seems to be good with Dad."

Lucy snorted derisively. "Yeah. Tell me about."

Jason smiled. Their dad was finally getting to her. Thank goodness. Jason couldn't be the only one in this camp any more. "I heard he's pretty much set up camp here. That's... nice."

"That's another thing I'm not sure we can take much more of," she muttered, hoping her father hadn't heard her.

Jason caught her words and her furtive glance towards their dad, who had managed to steal the baby away again. He changed the subject. "How is Chris doing, by the way? He's back at work now, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, started back up last week. He'll be home soon for dinner, hopefully within the next thirty minutes or so. He's doing all right, though, probably better than I am, excepting the whole... you know."

Her eyes drifted back over to Clark and Jason got the gist. "Maybe we'll talk a little later," he spoke quietly, noticing the blue eyes that were now curiously staring back at them.

"Yeah." They both made their way over to the group of people with Lois and plastered smiles on to their faces.

"Hey, Momma," Maisie teased gently as she gave her sister-in-law a hug.

Lucy grinned. "Hi, how are you?"

"Just fine. She's getting so big already!"

"I know. I can hardly believe it myself."

The two women gushed for a while until Lois eventually started fussing again. On a sigh, Lucy moved to take her daughter from her dad's arms. "Here Dad, let me take her."

"No, no, no. She'll be fine." Clark started bouncing her and patting her back softly. "See?"

Contrary to his efforts, Lois only started to wail louder and squirmed against Clark's chest, making him grimace. Lucy shook her head and reached for her again. "Come on, Grandpa. She probably just needs to be fed or something. We'll be right back, you won't even miss us."

Clark sighed and finally conceded, handing the beautiful baby over with one last kiss to her soft brown locks. Lucy rolled her eyes and carried her daughter carefully out of the room.

"So Clark," Maisie started, pulling his gaze back to the present. "How have you been doing?"

He shrugged and smiled broadly. "Good. Just enjoying being a grandfather again. Oh, which reminds me..." he zipped away faster than the eye could see and came back with three large, gift-wrapped boxes and a grin. He crouched down to his grandsons' level and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. "I can't do something for one grandkid and not the others."

A chorus of "Wow" and "Thank-you-grandpa's" sounded around. Clark grinned wickedly as he handed out each of their presents individually. He loved being a grandfather. He could be the coolest guy in the family, spoil them rotten, fill them up on sugar and junk food and then pack 'em up to go home with their ever grateful parents. He chuckled to himself as he ruffled both Sam and Bryce's hair, the middle boy quickly throwing his arms up over his head protectively while two year old Sammie just grinned into it before returning to his new toy.

"Dad, you shouldn't have. Really."

He turned and clapped Jason on the shoulder. "Hey, what are grandparents for?"

Jason kept his voice low in his response. "Maybe they should be a little less for hovering around and more for babysitting for the parents."

Clark was slightly puzzled by his son's phrasing. "Do you and Maisie need me to babysit for a night? I'd be more than happy to-"

"Actually, I was talking about Lucy and Chris."

His eyebrows shot up at that. "Lucy and Chris? I'm already here most of the time. Why would they need a babysitter? Besides, Lo-Lo is only nine weeks old."

"Exactly my point, Dad. Nine weeks?" At his father's blank expression, Jason forced himself to continue, despite the awkwardness of the subject. "That's kind of a long time to have your father-in-law practically living with you. No time alone, just the two of them..." he hinted, waiting for the look of recognition to eventually cross his father's face.

And _bingo_. There it was. Clark's face arranged itself into a mix of dawning and complete disgust. "Oh. OH."

"Yeah." Jason didn't like the thought either, but the look spread across his father's features was priceless, and he felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. "Besides, when exactly is the last time you've been home, and stayed there? I know you've been mostly staying over here, to help with the baby, and that's nice. But you're going to have to go home and face the music at some point. Wouldn't it be better to start now than put it off any longer and let it hang over your head?"

Clark's face fell quickly. Jason felt bad almost for bringing it up, but it had to be said. His mother would have wanted him to, and it really couldn't wait much longer.

"Jason, I-I don't know how to live there. I know it's what your mom would have wanted, but I just can't face it. I don't know how."

"Dad, she would have wanted you to be happy. And not just happy because of another grandchild. Don't you think you at least need to try? For her sake? At least give it a shot."

Clark sighed heavily. His son was right. He was hiding out here and probably taking away some much needed family time from his daughter, who was too polite and sensitive to say anything to him outright. It was true, though. He needed to get back to his life. He couldn't spend any more time away from the Planet- he was on thin ice as it was, dropping in casually with a story or two on Superman's rescues. A few times, he'd made it in for the whole day, but everyone was always so sympathetic and gave him such long looks. The only bonus was the fact that now he at least had the grandbaby to brag about instead. Little Lo-Lo hadn't even been into the office yet, and already Clark had probably shown her pictures around to everyone. He winced at himself. He should probably not steal any more of the limelight away from Lucy, she will want to show the baby pictures. It was just easier to talk about that than it was to talk about his late wife.

Clark nodded at his son on a sigh. "You're right, Jason."

He looked surprised. He certainly hadn't expected his father to give in so easily. "I am?"

"Yeah," he smiled wryly. "I know. I'm just tired of it all, you know? I wish your mom was here. She'd kick my butt into gear right away, never let me interfere with anything. I certainly wouldn't be here all the time."

"Well, I don't know about that," Jason smiled slightly. "You and mom pretty much set up camp in our living room after Jonathan was born."

Clark chuckled. "Well, he was our first grandchild ever. We couldn't miss a second of that."

"Well then, trust me," he put a hand on his father's shoulder. "If what you're doing to poor Chris and Lucy is anything like what you did to me and Maisie, then believe me. It's time."

Clark huffed a short laugh and reached up to ruffle his own son's hair, to be met with a scowl. "Yeah, yeah. I get the point."

Jason glared and combed his fingers through his hair to straighten it back out. "You know it's fine when you do it to the boys, but me? Come on, Dad. I'm gonna be forty in a couple of years."

"All the more reason to do it," Clark boasted, reaching for him again, only to be thwarted when Jason sped across the room with a pout. He laughed loudly at the Mad Dog Lane glare.

The door to the apartment swung open suddenly, and Chris came through the door. He paused for a moment, quickly realizing that his wife's whole family currently sat in their living room, his three nephews running rampant with some noisy light-up toys, hopefully tiring themselves out. Chris managed a weak sort of smile. Great. He was just so damn tired and he wanted a night to himself and his little family of three, but it seemed his in-laws were inescapable ever since Lo-Lo was born. He said his hellos and gave the requisite hugs all around as he made his way to the kitchen where he set his stuff down and turned to wash his hands once again.

Clark came up behind him quickly, causing him to jump out of his skin.

"Geez, Clark. You scared me," he replied as he moved to turn off the sink.

Clark only grinned. "Sorry. Didn't mean to. You seem a little keyed up."

Chris chose his words carefully as he dried his hands on a paper towel. "No, it's okay. I'm just a little tired lately."

That was an understatement. Clark decided to make his statement before he chickened out. "Hey so, I wanted to ask you something, because I'm not sure how Lucy will take this idea, but I know you both need it..."

Chris frowned at his father-in-law and spoke a bit warily. "What is it?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering if you guys might want the night off for an evening. I would be happy to watch Lois for you if you want, and I'm sure Jason and Maisie would do the same."

Chris let his surprise show on his features. "Really?"

Clark nodded earnestly. "Yeah. I know how tough it is having a screaming baby girl around and not getting any alone time. I should have offered before, but I guess I'm not entirely right in the head yet."

He grinned and shook his head. "You're fine." At his father-in-law's arched eyebrow, he conceded. "Well, maybe you've been a little clingy lately."

Clark scoffed. "Chris, I know what I've been doing. Jason's already given me a stern talking to."

Chris smiled and looked down at his shoes. "Well, I'll have to see if I can twist Lucy's arm, but yeah. Yeah, that'd be nice."

Clark grinned at his son-in-law. As much as he'd avoided him from the start, and teased him ever since, Clark could honestly say that he really liked Chris as a son-in-law, more than he'd thought he'd like any man that ever came near his daughter. He certainly could have done worse. Chris was a good man, a good husband, and already he could tell he was a good parent. They both were.

At that moment, Lucy came floating out of the back quickly and shushed them all in order to get their attention. "Guys! Do you hear that?"

Clark frowned as he strained his ears, hearing nothing but the steady rhythm of his granddaughter's heartbeat. He shared a curious look with his son. "No, I don't hear anything."

"Exactly," Lucy stated. Jason laughed loudly, but was promptly shut up by his sister's withering glare. "She's finally asleep. That means it's time for you to go. All of you."

Clark pouted as Jason started to pack up his family and their things. "Aw, but she's so cute when she's sleeping..."

"Dad," she warned in a low tone.

He sighed, Jason's advice coming to mind once more. Clark supposed if he had to start somewhere, he may as well start here. "Okay, fine."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at her father's quick acquiescence. "Fine?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll let you guys have some space. I have some things I should be doing anyways. Really." Clark pressed a quick peck to his daughter's cheek and gripped Chris' shoulder warmly. "Call if you need anything."

They all made their rounds of goodbyes before finally Lucy shut the door on them and slumped with her back against it.

Chris smiled at his wife. "Do you hear that?"

Lucy closed her eyes with a peaceful smile gracing her lips. "Yeah. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Mmm. I never thought we'd get a moment of peace and quiet again in our life."

Lucy's eyes flew open on her grin and she slowly pushed off their front door. "Hey. You know what?"

"Hmm?"

"We're alone now."

Chris' eyes shown with mischief. "We are, aren't we?"

"Yep." Lucy walked up close to him and looped her arms around his neck.

"What on earth should we do with this rare moment in time?" Chris's lips ghosted over hers, not quite touching as he breathed his words across her lips.

"I'm sure we can figure it out," Lucy teased before finally closing the distance and sealing their lips together.

It was barely a minute later when their daughter's cries started back up. They broke apart carefully and stood their for a moment as she began to wail a bit louder.

"I'll go get her," Chris sighed and turned to walk back towards the nursery, though not without planting one last kiss on his wife's lips.

Lucy's sigh matched his own, but she smiled at his gesture. "Thank you, babe."

It looked like they weren't about to get a night to themselves after all.

* * *

><p><strong>Comments? Any other ideas for interactions with Baby Lois? I'd love to hear them!<strong>


	18. Superman's Granddaughter

**A/N:** Fluff time! Sorry it took me so long to get back to this, but between finals and working on this new film project I signed on for, I've been a bit swamped. Here's a chapter, to earn my way back into your good graces. :)

Oh, and Happy 2014! We made it, people!

**Disclaimer:** Same old song and dance.

* * *

><p>Clark gave the apartment one last glance over as he prepared for everything that could possibly go wrong. He had went out and baby-proofed everything he could think of, cleaned up the apartment, incinerated any trash and even did and x-ray sweep for anything remotely suspicious or contaminating.<p>

Nada. All was well.

Cleaning up had been the hardest. Everything he had of Lois' was now carefully organized and put away, even though some of it he knew he should part with. He couldn't give it all up yet. He kept the cards, and pressed some of the dead flowers. He reread every one of her letters as often as he could. She had written so many to all of them. It warmed his heart and made him break down into tears at the same time. It had been nearly four months now. Winter was fast approaching, and that meant the days were getting more and more bleak and dreary. He needed his Lois to keep his days happy and full of life.

But he had done it. In fact, just by looking at the place, Clark didn't think anyone could guess that he was having a hell of a time adjusting.

At least, that was what he was hoping when Lucy and Chris came by to drop off the baby.

He grinned goofily to himself. He couldn't help it. He loved that little girl to death. Little Lois. She was adorable.

A knock sounded against the door and his grin widened. Speak of the angel...

Clark steadied himself for a moment before opening the front door with a smile. "Hi guys, come on in."

Lucy and Chris walked in quietly with gracious smiles, carrying Lo-Lo in her car seat carefully. They gently set the chair down on counter, being extremely quiet.

"So you guys-"

"Shh!" Both of the parents turned to him with panic in their eyes as they shushed him and Clark raised his hands in surrender.

"Don't you _dare_ wake her!" Lucy spoke softly. "We haven't even left yet. I can't leave her if she's crying," she murmured, wringing her hands together nervously. Chris' hand rubbed up and down her arm soothingly.

Intellectually, Clark knew it would be hard for her to leave Lois behind the first time- but he didn't seem to connect the dots until now. "Oh, I'm sorry, honey. I promise, it'll be okay. I won't wake her for as long as I can."

Lucy hovered over the carrier hesitantly, watching as the five month old baby inhaled and exhaled rhythmically, curling her little fingers with each breath. "Oh," she moaned softly. "But, she's so cute! She needs me! How could I possibly leave her behind? This was a bad idea-"

Clark placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder as he watched Chris run a hand through his hair out of exasperation. It was obvious they'd already run this gambit several times tonight. "Lucy," he spoke firmly. "Go. I can handle her, I promise. Have fun."

She eyed her father warily. "You know all of the phone numbers?"

Clark had to force himself to not roll his eyes. "Yes."

"And you'll let me know the second something goes wrong?"

"Sweetheart, nothing will go wrong-"

"Promise?!"

He sighed. "Yes. I promise."

Lucy seemed to consider it carefully for a few minutes more. "And you're sure you can handle it?"

"Hey, I only dropped you on your head a few times, and you turned out all right, didn't you?"

Wide, panicked blue eyes snapped up to meet his and he had to fight the urge to laugh at his daughter. "I'm kidding! Lucy, please! She's in good hands. And if anything did go wrong, I'm Superman, remember? I want you to take the night off. Go, enjoy your time together."

"Yeah," Chris snorted. "Before she wakes up and we remember why we're taking tonight off anyways."

Lucy shot him a glare, but Clark could tell from the slump of her shoulders that she was defeated. "All right. Thanks, Dad."

"Don't mention it. You kids have fun."

As the parents finally made their exit from his apartment, Clark let out a sigh, turning to face the baby in her car seat with a smile. "Well, Lolo, I guess it's just you and me for the night."

At those words, baby Lois stirred restlessly and woke herself up, crying when she didn't see her parents around. Clark was quick to pick her up and tried his best to calm her down, but as she started to wail louder and louder, Clark realized that he was going to be in for a very long night.

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><p>Three hours after Lucy and Chris had dropped her off, Little Lois was on her fourth fit. Clark walked around the bedroom, bouncing her up and down, patting her back, doing the jiggle-rock- everything that had worked on Lucy was not working now. He sighed in frustration. "Come on, Lo-lo," he held her up to his eye level. "Please. Please stop crying. Come on, baby."<p>

She didn't listen. Clark sighed again and removed his glasses to set them on the bed table. He sunk down onto the bed, bouncing her on his knee. "What do you want me to do? I've tried everything I can think of. I'll give you anything you want. I'll- I can sing!" He started to hum a few notes to an old lullaby he'd once known, but as soon as he began to sing the words aloud she wailed again. He winced. "I know, baby girl, I know. I've never had the best singing voice. That was Grandma Lois' department."

He smiled softly at the memory, and kept talking to his granddaughter. "She would have loved you. She already did. Before you were born, she spent every second she could with you and your mommy."

Miracle of miracles, the infant's cries started to dull down. Shocked, Clark stopped talking and looked at the girl- when she started back up again. "No, no, no! It's okay. You like stories? I can keep talking. I've got tons of stories."

Bright brown eyes gazed up at him curiously, as she settled down once more. His heart warmed and he continued talking. "Like... Like the time your Grandma tried to jump out of a window to see if I was Superman."

She blinked at him with wide, confused eyes, and Clark couldn't help but laugh. "That's right. You don't know Superman yet!" He continued to bounce her slightly on his knee as he thought about what to tell her. "Well, I don't want to scare you or anything, so I won't spin into him really fast- although I _can_ do that," he wiggled his eyebrows at her and she giggled. She actually giggled! Clark grinned back at her and stood up with her in his arms, searching the room for that box he had just put away. "I've got some pictures somewhere around here. Your grandma used to keep a box of clippings from the articles that we wrote together- especially Superman ones. She _loved_ Superman."

His gaze rested on a box through the closet, near the back. "There it is. Just a second," he opened the door and floated over stuff in his way to reach the box, lifting it with one hand while Lois watched in fascination in his other arm. He set the girl carefully down on her back in the middle of the bed, before turning to dig through the box for some little story he could read. He could tell it, sure, but something about sharing Lois' words with his granddaughter just felt right. That in some small way, the child would still get to know her.

He searched through and evaluated different clippings, debating which one to read first. Clark cast a cursory glance up at the baby and continued his search, before snapping his head up sharply. He swore as a jolt of terror ran through him, and managed to just barely speed over in time to stop Lois from rolling right off the edge of the bed. At his outburst and sudden fear, she started crying and wailing again.

"No, no! Shh! Shh! Baby girl, come on. It's okay. You're okay. You're a fast little bugger, but you're okay." He lifted her into his arms and floated up above the floor, hoping not to jostle her too much as he went to search for her bottle.

Immediately she stopped.

Clark arched an eyebrow as he looked at Lois, staring down at the expanse of ground beneath them, completely captivated by the smooth motion of the world beneath her. "You like flying, huh?" With a grin, he twirled around slowly in the air, and was rewarded with an enthusiastic giggle. He laughed in return, and decided that if this is what made her happy, then he'd do whatever he had to to keep her that way.

* * *

><p>Lucy fidgeted nervously all through dinner. "Do you think they're okay?"<p>

"Sweetie, you know I love you. I do. That's why I wanted to spend an evening out with you and only you. Which is why you need to relax."

Lucy met his gaze to find him starring pointedly back at her. She sighed. "I'm sorry, honey. It's just... I'm so worried. I thought that it would be so nice to go out without the baby, especially since I'm going to start back up at work in two weeks and I really need to prepare for that, so I thought this would just be good practice and on top of that we could spend some time enjoying each other's company and- what?"

He grinned goofily at his wife. "You're babbling."

"I am not! I just have a point to make and a lot to say about it."

Chris' grin only widened, his brown eyes sparkling merrily at her and she felt defeat. "Okay, fine. So I'm babbling. I'll try to relax."

"That's all I ask."

Their waitress came up to their table, startling them. "How was the food?"

"Mmm, excellent, thank you." Chris smiled and nodded.

"Can I interest you in any desserts for this evening?"

Chris arched an eyebrow at his wife, grinning lasciviously. "It's up to my lady, over there."

Lucy bit her lip and rolled her eyes at her husband's overt advances. "Actually, I might be. Do you have anything chocolate?"

"We do actually; our specialty of the night is our mile-high chocolate layer cake. We also have a chocolate mousse cake, a variety of cheesecakes with chocolate in them and a tiramisu, if any of those interest you."

Her eyes lit up at the options. With a mischievous glance back at her husband, she turned to the waitress to order. "Can we get one chocolate mousse and one tiramisu, to go please? And with spoons?"

The girl nodded and went to place their order. Chris crossed his arms over his chest. "Someone's feeling fancy now."

Lucy shrugged in return. "I figure, if we're out already, there's no use in freaking out about it anymore. Might as well enjoy ourselves."

"I suppose, if we must," Chris quipped in return as their waitress returned with the check and assured them their to go order would be out presently.

The couple left the restaurant, arm in arm, laughing and talking as though they didn't have a care in the world.

* * *

><p>Clark awoke to a pounding sound on the door and a baby lying peacefully on his chest. He groaned and rubbed his eyes, Baby Lois stirring irritably at the noise. Immediately, Clark was on alert, moving quickly to pick up the girl and shushing her gently as he floated off the couch. "Coming," he called out softly, knowing his daughter would hear him.<p>

It only took a few moments to calm down the girl and sort himself out, and he opened the door to find a notably more relaxed but still somewhat on edge couple. Lucy held out her arms for her baby immediately with a smile cracking broadly across her face. "There's my baby girl! Come to mama, Lo-lo!"

Clark handed over his granddaughter and was rewarded with the look of pure joy from both mother and daughter's faces. Chris shook his hand as the two got reacquainted again. "Thanks again for watching her, Clark. How was she?"

He waved the question away. "Oh, she was fine. A perfect angel, as usual."

"As usual, huh? So not very angelic at all?" Chris teased as he ran a hand over Lois' dark brown tufts of hair.

Clark laughed. "Well, she did scream off and on for quite a few hours, but I managed to feed her and she didn't throw it all back up, so that's good. Plus, I found out she likes a couple of things."

"Did you tell her stories? She always likes that."

Clark grinned. "Yeah. I read her some of Lois' old stories, too."

Lucy grinned at that, glancing briefly away from her child to her father. "She like the Superman stories?"

"Oh, yeah. True to form. Also I found she liked flying a lot."

Suddenly both Chris and Lucy's heads snapped up at him in unison. "You took her flying?!"

Clark was shocked to hear the outrage coming from his son-in-law rather than his daughter. "Um... I mean, I didn't go fast or far or anything- she was perfectly safe-"

"Safe? Safe! That's not the point, Clark! You think I don't know she'd be safe with you? You're Superman! The point is that you took her out flying without our permission!"

Clark felt like he'd been punched in the gut, and he had no idea how the tables had turned on him so fast- and coming from Chris, of all people. He looked to Lucy in confusion, but found no explanation there. "Look, Chris, I'm sorry. I didn't have any idea that it would bother you guys so much."

"And there's another thing- Lucy hasn't flown anywhere with her yet. Don't you think if anyone should do that first, it should be her mother? It's like taking her to get her first haircut or something! There are things you don't get to do!"

"Chris-" Lucy's voice was low with warning.

He shut his mouth and turned to take his daughter out of Lucy's arms and grabbing the car seat in one swift motion. "I'm sorry. I'll be waiting out in the car." With that, he stormed out of the apartment, taking their baby with them.

Clark looked bewildered back at Lucy. "Is everything going to be okay, here? I didn't mean to step on anybody's toes-"

She sighed and gathered up the rest of her daughter's things. "It's fine, Dad. It's a little upsetting, but... I'll talk to Chris. Don't look so worried. Thanks for watching her anyways."

Clark swallowed thickly. "No problem. Bye sweetheart."

She barely mumbled a goodbye back at him before quickly closing the door behind her, leaving Clark wondering what the hell just happened.

* * *

><p>The next day, Clark was once more awakened by a knock on his front door. Rolling over to glance at his digital clock, he swore and rubbed a hand over his face. Five o'clock. He reached for his glasses slowly. He normally considered himself to be a morning person, but even this was too early for him. If the sun wasn't up, then neither was he. Grumbling at the inconvenience, he reached the door without even considering who might be on the other side of it and was shocked to find his son-in-law standing there.<p>

"Chris?" he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he took his glasses off his face. "What are you doing here? And why so early?"

He had the humility to look slightly embarrassed at that. "Sorry. I have to get to work in time for a six o'clock surgery today, and I figured I'd swing by here to talk while I still had the courage." He shifted nervously on his feet, waiting for some kind of gesture to invite him in, but Clark seemed quite confused still. He cleared his throat somewhat pointedly. "Mind if I come in for a minute?"

Clark shook his head sharply to clear it and opened the door wide enough so the young man could pass. "Uh, no, not at all."

Chris scooted past him anxiously, concerned about the response he might get. This was at least a good start. "Look, Clark, about yesterday-"

"No, Chris. You were right. I was out of bounds on that one. I shouldn't have taken her flying. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," Chris insisted. He looked to his feet somewhat helplessly. "I just- I want to explain myself. I know there's no excuse for my behavior. I just panicked. The thought of you taking my baby girl, hundreds of feet above the ground- it did scare me. It was irrational, but true. I know she's safer with you than any other babysitter in the world, but... I just spent the entire evening the night before convincing my wife there was nothing to worry about and to stop freaking out about leaving our baby for the first time, only to find out there was something to worry about after all. It doesn't make much sense-"

"No, no, I understand," Clark spoke slowly, wheels turning in his brain, suddenly recalling a recurring fight he'd had with Lois about the kids over the years. He struggled to think of the right way to approach this issue, stalling for time. "And I get that Lucy should have been the first one to take her flying, too. That was my bad."

Chris nodded. "Good. I just wanted to make it clear that I'm not really mad at you."

Clark didn't respond for a few moments, leaving the young father to shift nervously on his feet.

"Well, I guess I'd better head out, then-"

"Wait! Chris, I," he hesitated, gathering his thoughts. "I understand. Really I do. I think there might even be more to it than that, though."

Chris frowned suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"

"It's hard to be... the only non-powered person in your family. I know it's easy to accept someone else's abilities, and what they mean for your life. But the thought of your child, running off to do something dangerous one day, just because they can? Leaving you in the dust... It's not as easy to accept."

Chris mulled over Clark's words for a few moments, deciding whether or not the situation applied to him. "I get it. I'm not sure that's exactly what's going on here or not. I mean, I love my daughter for everything she is and will grow up to be."

The way he left the tone of the sentence prompted Clark to prod a bit more. "But?"

He felt his shoulders slump in defeat. "But she's my baby girl, Clark. Surely you know what I mean."

Clark thought about his own daughter, how sensitive he'd been with her when she was a baby. Especially since it was really the first time he'd parented an infant, given the fact that Jason was five when they'd first met, and he'd been so scared that she'd just break apart in his arms. Chris and Lucy were on their first child. They were going to be extremely sensitive. He couldn't just treat them like Jason and Maisie, who were older and had three boys and were used to it all a bit more. He'd have to tread a lot more carefully.

"Yeah. I know what you mean."

Chris smiled at him and slapped his hand down on the counter. "Well, I really better get going now. But, we're good, right?"

Clark smirked back at him. "Yeah, we're good."

"You're sure? Because I don't want you to just say that and then go and tell Lucy-"

"Chris."

"Yes?"

"Get to work."

At that, Chris smiled and turned to make his way out of the apartment.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Whew. A bit of a longer one, but still good, I hope. Review? Also, as a sidebar, I'm hoping to complete several stories in 2014: this one being a priority. So here's to a lot more chapters (and reviews) to come! ;)


	19. Ultrawoman Returns

**A/N:** More! If anybody's got any ideas about what else they might wanna see, please review or pm me to let me know! I've got plans for the rest of the story pretty much drawn up so if there's a good idea out there, I'll need to think about it and work it in now while I can still make it work. Otherwise, just enjoy the ride!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything.

* * *

><p>Lucy pouted as she stared at her baby girl in her arms, sleeping so soundly. She was so utterly perfect, so sweet, so innocent, so young... And she had to leave her behind, to get back out there. She had to do it, she knew. If she didn't do it today, when would she? Besides, her dad could use the help. She had to...<p>

"Maybe I don't have to go back today, babe," she spun around to face her husband with a hopefully convincing look on her face. "I mean, who says I have to go back on a disaster like today, anyway? It's not like anybody really cares. Or maybe I got my weeks mixed up."

Chris simply lifted an eyebrow at his wife, and she sighed out of sheer frustration.

"I know! You're right, you're right. I've gotta get back into it somehow- today. I just- I don't want to leave her! She's so tiny and perfect and what if-"

"Sweetheart," Chris' voice was low with warning.

"I know! I just... could you tell me one more time why I'm doing this?"

Chris sighed as he folded his copy of the Planet that he'd been thumbing through and walked over to his wife's side. Wrapping his arms around her waist and tucking his chin between her neck and shoulder, he stared at their cooing daughter as he explained this to her one more time. "Because. It's officially been eight months since you were last seen out there. If we wait any longer, people will be wondering about what's really going on with Ultrawoman. Besides that, Lois is four months old. You started working again already this last week or so, and you've been adjusting marvelously to it. We even left her overnight once already with your father. And on top of all that, we've been waiting for a disaster big enough for you to make your grand entrance of sorts. It's terrible that it happened, but what better way than to help with the damages of that earthquake out in California? It's distant, it requires a lot of careful manpower- your dad is going to need the help."

Lucy nodded at his sound reasoning, still not quite reassured. "And you made sure you have the whole day off? You won't have to rush off on some emergency surgery or something and leave her behind?"

"Sweetie, what on earth would make you even think I would do that? We're going to be staying right here, this whole time. We're going to be just fine. Aren't we, Lo-lo?" Chris reached over to tickle the girl's stomach and was rewarded with the tiniest and sweetest of giggles. He turned back to face his wife more seriously. "Look, Lucy, this is your shot. If you want to continue being Ultrawoman at all, now is your chance. You might not get a better one."

"You think so?" she asked hesitantly, and her husband took her face carefully in his hands.

"I promise you. Everything is going to be okay. What's the big deal? I mean, I know you haven't been Ultrawoman for a while, but why is this bothering you so much? You handled working at the Planet again just fine."

"That was different. I just- I want to be here to protect her, you know? What if something happens here, and I'm sitting half way across the world practically, and I can't get you in time? Or worse, what if I don't realize it at all?"

"Sweetie, you need to calm down. First of all, if she's anything like her mother, Lois is going to be just fine. Second of all, I'm going to be here with her for every second of the day. And third- even on the off-chance that Lex Luthor comes back from the dead and creates an evil clone army of superpowered monkey-ninjas with Kryptonite swords all to specifically launch an attack on a doctor and his five month old baby girl- I can always call Jason over here to help out."

She nodded, unfazed by his sarcasm. "And you'll call me too?"

Chris laughed at his wife, he couldn't help it. "Yes, I will call you too. But come on, even you have to know at this point how ridiculous you're being. Everything will be okay."

Lucy sighed. "I know. I think that's part of the problem." She turned to look at Chris, tears brimming in her blue eyes, and he leaned forward to kiss them away as they spilled over her cheeks.

"She'll be here waiting for Mommy to come home."

Lucy laughed and nodded, kissing her husband properly before turning to place their child in his arms. "All right then, Lo-lo. Mommy's gonna be back later, okay?" The girl giggled and drooled, not disturbed in the slightest by the prospects. Lucy sighed, and spun in a circle to change into her costume, putting on the mask last so as not to scare her daughter. "Mommy loves you," she leaned in for one last kiss from Chris.

"Mm, Daddy loves you too," he rumbled in a low voice.

She rolled her eyes before taking off out the window.

* * *

><p>"Look! Up in the sky?"<p>

"What is that?"

Clark followed their gazes naturally, curious about their cries and saw his daughter streaking through the sky. He grinned as he moved aside a support beam from a building into its sorted pile.

Lucy slowed her descent as she touched down a few feet away from her father. Cries of "Ultrawoman!" and "She's back!" echoed throughout the small crowd of people gathered. She walked over towards her father slowly, appearing hesitant.

"Hey," Clark grinned at her. "I didn't know you were planning on coming back out today. You sure you're up for this?" Part of this was for show, but another part of him was just as concerned for her. Cleaning up after disasters could get quite disturbing.

"Yeah. Couldn't leave you out here all by yourself to deal with something like this. What can I do to help, Superman?"

Clark couldn't suppress his grin for a moment, before sobering with a shake of his head. "You can start on the other end. We're still early enough in on the search and rescue. Divide and conquer."

"Got it," Lucy chimed, taking off to get started on the other end of the damages from the earthquake. "Holler if you need me."

Clark smiled to himself as he continued his task at hand. It felt good to have someone back by his side again.

* * *

><p>After a grueling 16 hours of search and rescue, Lucy landed by her father's side once again. He looked worse than she felt. Maybe this wasn't the best idea to restart her Ultrawoman career on this rescue. It was draining. And while they had saved hundreds of lives that might have otherwise been lost, the ones they couldn't get to still got under her skin.<p>

Apparently it got to him too.

"Dad?" she asked softly, grabbing his attention.

He snapped his head towards her and put on a small smile for her sake. "Hey, sweetheart," he replied, walking up to her side to put an arm around her shoulders. He glanced at her eyes and saw tears brimming in them. "Hey, hey, come here," he soothed, pulling her into his arms to hug her properly.

Lucy sniffed and let out a shaky laugh against his chest, the S-crest mocking her. "Dad, stop. Someone will see."

"So? All they'll see is a father hugging his baby girl. Nothing wrong with that," he patted her on the back and rested his chin on the top of her head, taking a moment to just breathe with her. When she finally felt okay enough to start pulling away, Clark spoke again. "Thank you, by the way."

Lucy looked at him quizzically, or would have been, if it weren't for the mask. "What for?"

"For coming out here today, for helping. I know it would have been a lot harder on my own to handle, and together we saved a lot more lives, too."

Lucy nodded. "I know. It's just... it's still hard, you know?"

Clark agreed. "I know."

They looked up at the stars, examining them together as they strolled leisurely along. Clark nudged her shoulder suddenly. "Hey," he added.

"What?"

"It's good to have you back, Ultrawoman."

Lucy felt a wave of pride and modesty wash over her at that. "It's good to be back, Superman."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Seriously, review for some more ideas. More is about to happen, so be patient! Let me know what you think so far!


	20. Can't Pretend

**A/N:** Lots of stuff has been happening folks! So, I'm back, and trying to get back on my updates again. I'm gonna try to finish a story and I'm thinking it's gonna be this one- I already know that the next few things coming up in this tale and it has me very excited and I'll be getting to them as soon as I can. But I also have a lot of other stories in progress I'm excited about, so bear that in mind too.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Superman. I know I don't necessarily *have* to say that every time, but it's become a force of habit. Better safe than sorry, though, right?

* * *

><p>"Ultrawoman! Ultrawoman!"<p>

"How are you feeling?"

"Where have you been?"

"What happened to you?"

She shielded her eyes from the camera and ignored them, preferring to continue helping the families escape from out of the wreckage of their vehicles. It was lucky that it was only a smaller accident, no fatalities. But there was some careful maneuvering to be done and the chaos of the press was not making it any easier. This was her second time out as Ultrawoman since the earthquake in California and she hadn't said two words in response yet and the public was going nuts about it. Lucy hated this. She knew her lines by heart- knew the script they had to follow down to the letter. But still, it nagged her. She was still so raw- from the pregnancy, to her mom's death, and everything that went in between. She knew she wasn't the only one struggling with the weight of it all- that Jason was just as down as she was and her father barely could drag himself out of bed in the morning- but somehow, Lucy felt like no one's emotions could compare to hers at this particular moment in her life. The only blessing was her beautiful daughter.

The girl she couldn't afford to be thinking about right now, with a thousand cameras in her face.

She pushed past another camera as she helped the last passenger out of the car. "You know, if I could finish doing my job, I might give you the time of day to answer your questions."

That seemed to do the trick, and for the most part, they backed off until she could clear all the wreckage. Finally, taking a deep breath to brace herself, Lucy turned and faced the crowd of reporters.

"Ultrawoman, you've been out of the picture for nearly a year now, what happened? What made you decide to come back?"

"I wanted to come back. I always have. I wish I hadn't had to leave in the first place."

"What took you so long? Where have you been all this time?"

"I was... recuperating from an incident. I know it's been eight months, and that seems like a long time, but believe me when I say there was no way I could have helped any sooner."

"Exactly what were you doing in this so-called recuperation period?"

"I was recovering. It is what it sounds like."

"But where _were_ you? How is it possible for you to have just disappeared like that for so long?"

Lucy shifted nervously, hands fluttering to her mask in a brief moment of hesitation. "Same way I was able to escape notice all these years before. No one was looking."

"Was your father very involved with helping you through your recovery?"

"Yes, he was a great help to me at many different times. I'm sure you've noticed his occasional disappearances."

"Where was your mother in all this? I'm sure she was very concerned for your health."

Lucy paled dramatically and found her throat suddenly very dry. "I-I, uh..." She knew their cover story had always been to act like Ultrawoman's mother was never around or had died. But now it just felt like that lie was too close to home, and she hadn't anticipated this.

"Did you stay with her while you recovered?"

"Well, I-"

"How does she feel about you coming back out here as Ultrawoman again? Does your mother even-"

"My mother's dead!" she blurted out suddenly. Her eyes widened at the realization of what she'd just said and Lucy clamped a hand over her mouth.

The resounding silence that met her ears only unsettled her more. She swallowed thickly and closed her eyes for a brief moment. As questions and clamoring started to fly all around her, she opened them again. Lucy raised an arm for quiet and spoke up over the noise of the chaotic crowd. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause a stir. I just... I can't handle everyone asking about my mother anymore. So, no, I don't know how she feels about me coming out here as Ultrawoman. I just- I can't-"

She shook her head and took off, rocketing through the skies as fast as she could, the force of her takeoff shaking the buildings and people surrounding her.

* * *

><p>Jason stood at the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of cereal and keeping one eye on the news at the same time. He had the day off today, and for the first time in what felt like forever, no cases to prepare for. After taking John and Bryce to school, Maisie ran off to go get her hair or nails or something done that would be costing him money, and all he had to make sure to do was put Sammie down for his nap.<p>

In a way, it was nice. He really hadn't had a moment to himself since his mom died and Lucy had her baby. Not that he had anyone to blame but himself. He'd intentionally taken on more cases, put in more hours at the office, just to get away from it all. He didn't resent Lucy for taking so much attention, but it still felt a little insensitive to him. Their mother _just_ died, and it seemed like everyone was moving on already.

Everyone except for him.

A flash of his sister's costume on the television caught his attention, and he unmuted the set curiously as he leaned casually back against the countertop.

_"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause a stir. I just... I can't handle everyone asking about my mother anymore."_

Jason spit his cereal out into his bowl in shock.

_"So, no, I don't know how she feels about me coming out here as Ultrawoman. I just- I can't-"_

The sonic boom carried even through the television speakers, and it rocked Jason to his core.

His mind was spinning. _Holy shit. What did she just do? What was she thinking?_

The news report carried on before him, the reporter going on and on about the startling revelation that was and how Ultrawoman seemed changed, but Jason tuned it all out as best he could. His world was collapsing. The whole world knew his mother was dead. Well, Ultrawoman's mother, but still. There was something more final about this.

The overwhelming urge to speak with his sister suddenly struck him, and Jason sped for his phone to dial her number. She picked up on the last ring. _"Jason?"_

He spent several long moments just figuring out how to work his jaw again, get past the anger that was grinding it shut in order to speak actual words. "We need to talk."

She sounded guarded, cagey. _"You saw that, didn't you?" _

"Get over here, now."

_"Jason-"_

He hung up on her before he said anything he would regret. He had a few precious seconds to calm down, so he spent them trying to breathe deeply and calm his racing heart.

A fluttering of wind from the curtains alerted him to her presence first. "Jason?"

He felt a muscle in his jaw twitch uncontrollably. "Luce."

She spotted him in the kitchen and made her way over. "What's the matter?"

"What the hell, Lucy?" What's the matter? You just told the entire world that our mother died!"

Lucy cringed, taking off her mask, but otherwise still in her super suit. "Look, Jace, I didn't mean to. I just had a little slip up."

"A slip up? Lucy, you can't afford to have any of those! You have a daughter now- not to mention the rest of your family that you should be a little concerned for- you can't just go around doing what you want still. You have to put her- _us_- first."

"You think I'm not? I didn't say when she died, or if I even knew her all that well- and besides, that's always been our approach to the issue and you know it. Just because you're not out there making these kinds of decisions doesn't mean you'd be any better at handling it."

"That wasn't handling it, Luce! You botched the job! Mom's barely cold in her grave and you're already going around spilling all her secrets-"

"I'm sorry, what?" Jason closed his mouth with a snap, realizing himself. Lucy squared her stance before him, folding her arms over her chest with an accusatory look on her face. "I've never spilled any secrets about anything, especially about this. Just because I told the truth about Mom doesn't mean I'm... betraying her or something. And what's all this cold in her grave thing?"

"I'm not going to apologize for a fact."

"Jason, Mom's been gone for almost six months now."

He shut his eyes against those words and squeezed them, trying his best to ignore the pain that they caused. "Look, Lucy, I don't want to fight with you. I just..." Jason looked into his little sister's eyes, and found himself unable to address the real issue. How he was still struggling with their mother's death, how he needed time and help and sensitivity... But that didn't seem fair, because he knew she was struggling too. They all were; suffocating under the crushing weight of the knowledge that Lois Lane was gone.

So instead, he did what a good big brother should do, and released a sigh before changing the flow of the topic. "You need to be more careful out there. Okay? There are a lot more topics and triggering events that could come up while you're out there and it's not quite as easy as just getting back on the horse. You've got a lot more to deal with now than you did your first time out in the field. I don't want you to get swamped in all of the aspects of this job again and lose sight of what's important. Got it?"

She seemed to evaluate him for a few moments, not sure whether or not he could be believed. She didn't seem to find any reasonable explanation that she had been looking for, but finally, Lucy nodded anyway. "Okay. I'll be careful."

He sighed with relief. "That's all I ask."

She kept a wary eye on him at all time, but continued talking. "I am sorry that slipped out like it did. I should have brought it up to you or Dad first before saying anything."

Jason nodded. "No worries. Just be safe."

Lucy smiled and gave him a quick hug before finally feeling they were okay enough that she could take off.

Yet somehow, long after she left, Jason wasn't feeling any better.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Review please! Also, if there's a particular story you'd like me to get back to working on, (be it this one or any others) please let me know! I'll try to indulge you!


	21. Down River

**A/N:** Okay. So my outline is pretty set from here on out, but please do let me know if there's any points that seem to have slipped through the cracks or anything additional you'd like to see explored with the characters. I'll try my best to incorporate anything that might seem left out and any scenarios you'd like to see our characters face. :) I can only promise to try to put them all back together by the end of this crazy ride. Even if it seems, at times, that they'll never make it out of it. Have faith in me- I know I have no credentials to back that up, but it's all I've got.

* * *

><p>Jason woke up with a scream rattling his throat and he frantically tore the sheets away from his body. He sat up in bed, eyes unseeing for a few moments as he adjusted to his warm, familiar surroundings again. His heart was slowing, his breath easing in his chest...<p>

"Jason? Jason? Honey, are you all right? Answer me."

Jason let his eyes drift shut gently, trying to ban the repetitive images that had so recently started popping up in his dreams again.

His wife's hand landed gently on his arm and all of the sudden he was spiraling again. He couldn't catch his breath- there was that damn tattoo- he was hyperventilating- and the man's disturbing grin-

He felt the cool metal cylinder slip into his hand, and he used that to ground himself. Slowly, his mind came back to him, and he saw how his hands clenched tightly around the inhaler. He stared at the unused device for several long moments before finally feeling calm enough to meet his wife's steady gaze. She gave him a small smile, and he attempted to return it.

"Okay?" she asked quietly, trying not to break the tentative silence of the room.

Jason nodded, handing back his old inhaler for her to put back in the bedside drawer. He spent several long moments just breathing, allowing the figures that haunted his sleep to drift away silently.

"Another nightmare?"

Jason felt his jaw tighten unexpectedly in response. "Maisie..." he warned calmly.

She raised her hands defensively. "Sorry. Not asking. Just... you know you can always talk to me, Jason. The nightmares can't get you out here."

He closed his eyes sharply, letting a scowl contort his face. "The nightmares _live_ out here, Maisie."

"They're just memories, Jason," she soothed, a slender hand on his back rubbing circles.

He scoffed at her attempt. "Bad ones."

Maisie sighed and got out of bed., throwing her hands up in the air in the process. Her frustration was written clearly across her face, and for that, Jason was a little remorseful. "I don't know what to tell you, Jason. It was a bad dream. Are you gonna do this to me every time? Push me away like this?"

Jason clenched his jaw again, painfully. "I don't want to talk about it. Is that so wrong?"

"Jason, I'm your wife! And on top of that, we've known each other for, what, about thirty years? I already know everything there is to know about you! I bet I could guess what it was about again."

His eyes burned with pain and anger at that. "Don't."

"Was it Luthor this time? Or was it just the man with the clown tattoo?"

"Stop it, Maisie!"

For what felt like several long hours, but couldn't have been more than a few seconds, they stood facing each other in silence. Jason glared with his arms crossed over his chest, Maisie with her hands on her hips. Jason couldn't take it any longer. He sighed and reached for a pillow off their bed.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I can't do this tonight, Maisie. We need sleep. I just keep waking you up with my nightmares and then we can't talk about it, and we fight for a while- I just, I can't do it anymore. I'm sorry."

She shifted uncomfortably on her feet a moment before finally deciding it was more worth it to settle this than to go to bed angry. "Jason, wait. I don't-"

"It's fine, Maisie. I'm not mad. I just," he floundered for a moment too long before sighing with exasperation. "I just need some sleep." He leaned across the bed and planted a kiss on his wife's cheek gently, resigned to his fate. "I'll be on the couch."

Maisie didn't know what to do after he left. Sleep definitely wasn't in the cards. She sighed in turn and settled under the comforter once more, preparing herself for another fitful night's sleep.

* * *

><p>Lucy grinned as she bounced her quickly growing ten month old on her knee. "Who's ready to see Grandpa? Are you ready?"<p>

The girl grinned right back and cooed around her slobbery fist and waved her other hand aimlessly. Lucy loved that, in spite of the ensuing dribble. A knock sounded on the door to their place. "Coming!" She set her daughter down on the floor to go answer the door.

"Mamama?" her little voice chirped, a curious frown marring her smooth, baby skin briefly.

"No worries, Lo-lo. Mama will be right back, okay?"

The worried expression didn't leave her daughter's face, and she started to crawl after her. Lucy rolled her eyes with a smile, and quickly turned to open the door for her. She turned to face the figure holding a gift bag in one hand and a bottle of good wine in the other. "Hi, Dad," she greeted graciously.

"Hi, sweetheart," Clark responded. He leaned in and pressed a quick peck to his daughter's cheek before walking past her. "I brought that Merlot you asked for. And a present for the little one." He glanced down and saw the happy baby cheerfully crawling towards his pant leg and pulling on it, cooing at him. Clark swooped down and scooped her up into his arms, prompting a series of shrieks and giggles from the little girl.

"Oh, good! I'm glad you remembered. I forgot to remind you at the office earlier."

Lucy looked up at her father and saw that he hadn't heard her comment at all, being so engrossed in her daughter. She rolled her eyes, but couldn't repress the accompanying smile. She loved that her father was getting along so well with Lois. He needed it. For a while there, everything was touch and go with him. Having a granddaughter to spoil with attention was good for him. Especially now, considering it had been nearly a year since her mother's death.

"How's my favorite granddaughter?" he cooed, lifting her high above his head as he spoke to her.

"Ba-ba!" she gleefully shrieked her name for him, arms flailing up and down rhythmically. He laughed and proceeded to cover her face with kisses.

Lucy shook her head with a chuckle. "All right then. You two can keep each other entertained. I'm gonna go check on dinner."

She spun on her heel, not even getting a reaction from them as her father proceeded to show her the new doll he'd gotten her. She smiled thinking about it. It hurt- it hurt a lot- not being able to have her mom around for any of these moments. She knew it affected her dad too, and Jason, probably even to a larger degree. It hurt worse that sometimes she forgot about it. But they'd been so busy lately- what with dealing with the baby and getting back to work and Ultrawoman on top of everything else- sometimes it was impossible to get a moment to even think to herself. It was just life. And that sometimes made her feel guilty. But moments like this, when she could see her father so happy and forgetting his troubles for a little while, that made it worth it. And she genuinely did think he was dong better in general.

She glanced at the lasagna cooking through the oven door, and then quickly at the timer. Forty-five minutes. Not so terrible. Her dad came early, as he did whenever possible. Besides, they still had to wait for Jason and his family to arrive.

Jason. Now that made her feel guilty. Lucy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and blew softly on a pot of boiling noodles, contemplating. He had taken their mother's death much harder, and had less to distract himself with. Not that he wasn't busy with the kids, or work- definitely with work. He'd been really throwing himself into his work a lot lately. Maybe if she'd had more time, less on her plate, they could talk more, maybe he'd stop trying to distance himself from them. Maybe she'd pull him aside, try to have a word with him tonight. He would do the same for her- and had many times over in the past, she reminded herself. She stirred the pot of noodles slowly. He hadn't really taken to little Lois, either. Not the way their dad did. Come to think of it, he actually didn't do much of anything with her besides holding her a few times. Lucy frowned. Something was seriously wrong with that. She hoped it wasn't anything she'd done to upset him. It was definitely something she'd have to talk with him about.

A pair of arms slipped around her waist, startling her. Her shoulders tensed up and Lucy spun around in the arms to confront whoever it was- only to visibly relax when she realized to whom the arms belonged. "Oh. It's just you."

Chris grinned, but his forehead creased in confusion. "Good to see you too, honey."

Lucy swatted at his chest playfully. "You just startled me, that's all. I didn't hear you come in."

"Well, shall we start over?"

She grinned gratefully at him. "Let's."

He smiled and leaned in for a gentle kiss. "Hi."

"Hi."

Their moment was interrupted by a cry of "Da-da" from across the living room. Chris chuckled and they both made their way back over to where Clark sat and Lois crawled.

* * *

><p>The next knock at the door revealed a frazzled looking Maisie Kent and her three rambunctious boys. Lucy greeted them all with a smile and a hug, briefly giving them an overview of tonight's family dinner menu and the order to run off and play. The three boys immediately ran off and found a way to tackle their grandfather.<p>

"Thanks for having us over," Maisie spoke softly. The dark circles under her eyes spoke to how exhausted she must have been.

"No worries," Lucy smiled, but her brows hinted there was more going on in her brain. "But where's Jason? Shouldn't he be here?"

Maisie worried a practiced hand over her smooth auburn hair nervously. "He's... he's at work. Caught another case yesterday, has to put in some major overtime to get the verdict."

Lucy nodded, but something felt off about her sister-in-law's words. "Would you like some wine?"

"Please."

Lucy led her through the brownstone to the kitchen, where she got them each a glass of that fine Merlot.

"So," she spoke slowly as she poured, carefully choosing her words. "Is everything okay with Jason?"

"What do you mean? Jason's fine."

The words came out stilted, as though she didn't quite believe them. Lucy frowned. "Wanna try that one again? This time I won't listen to your heartbeat and hear that you're lying."

Maisie sighed and took a seat on a barstool. "I... I don't know what's wrong, Lucy," she finally confessed. "Jason's... he's just being so distant lately. He's throwing himself into his work, he's not focused on his family... He's not happy, Lucy. And I know it seems like a lot to ask, especially considering the one year anniversary is coming up in a month." She didn't need to specify what anniversary she was talking about. Lucy knew immediately what this boiled down to. "But I just feel like he should still be getting better. Or at least trying to. It's not like any of us are doing anything wrong. We're all just trying to help each other through this."

Lucy processed all that information slowly, swirling her wine in her glass contemplatively. "No, it's definitely not any of our faults, I can tell you that. This probably all boils down to Mom. He's kind of doing the same thing Mom always did- throwing himself into his work to avoid his problems. Classic Lane/Kent move. You know how stubborn our family is."

Maisie laughed at that. "Now that I know."

Lucy smiled crookedly, but looked down again. "Do you think it would help if I talked to him?"

Maisie sighed and shook her head. "No. I'm not sure. If you get the chance, maybe. But I wouldn't worry about it. I think once the anniversary passes, he'll be better. He just needs a little time."

Lucy eyed her sister-in-law reluctantly but gave in. "Okay. But if you ever need anything, just give us a call. I can be over there in a jiff."

"Oh, I know."

A timer started going off somewhere, and Lucy shot to her feet. "Crap! The noodles!"

She hurried over to take the lasagna out of the oven before it burned and then turned her attention to the boiling over noodles for her nephews, conversation briefly forgotten.

* * *

><p>Driving home that night with the boys practically passed out in the back of the car, Maisie found herself regretting that Jason didn't make it to this dinner in particular. He could have really used the pick me up. Good food, lots of fun and laughs- their niece even took her first steps, to Lucy and Chris' excitement. It was all positives. It might send him to bed with a better feeling in his gut, and maybe the nightmares wouldn't strike again. But instead, he was dealing with the criminals at work and trying to handle the stress of putting them behind bars and making a case that will stick- and all that would put his stress through the roof.<p>

Well, regardless, she'd had a great night. She'd take them where she could get them at this point.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Review please? Let me know what you think, as always! Come on guys!


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